


(K)reating Kings

by caitmdh94



Category: K (Anime)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bars, Blood and Gore, Eventual Romance, Explicit Language, F/M, Fist Fights, Hacker, Hostage Situation, Human Trafficking, Humor, Kidnapping, Organized Crime, Pain, Rape/Non-con Elements, Reference character death, Slow Build, Spoilers, Supernatural Elements, Suspense, Torture, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-07
Updated: 2018-07-30
Packaged: 2018-12-24 21:31:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 17
Words: 41,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12021411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caitmdh94/pseuds/caitmdh94
Summary: Fall, 2015.It had been a little over a year since the Dresden Slate's destruction and an era of normalcy had seemed to begin for HOMRA, Scepter 4, and the White Rice Party. However, the era did not last long with the return of the Dresden Slate and the Sanctums, both being orchestrated by an unknown enemy with an unknown agenda. At the same time, there have been several cases of disappearances and other crimes around the city and there's one young woman that seems to be connected to it all. Of course, Scepter 4 wants to know what that connection is by any means necessary and they're prepared to send their multi-color-using Clansman after her to find out and put an end to it.





	1. Home(K)oming

**Author's Note:**

> Writing just for fun since I wanted more from the anime.  
> Possible edit of story every so often even after posting (so if you just so happen to be re-reading, you're not crazy!)

Fushimi Saruhiko sighed into his glass of scotch before taking a quick sip.

He couldn’t fathom why nor how his Captain and the former Blue King Munakata Reisi and Lieutenant Awashima Seri, as well as the rest of the Captain’s headache producing Clansman, managed to drag him into HOMRA’s bar.

Well, that wasn’t entirely true. He knew why, he just simply labeled it a pain and a waste of his time. It had been over a year since the battle with the Green Clan and the Gray King, since everyone’s abilities and auras disappeared, and since the destruction of the Dresden Slate. It had been rough for members of Scepter 4, as they were responsible for the cleanup of the city, but they managed to finish with repairs not too long ago. However, with no powers, no Strains, and no rogue clansman to control, Scepter 4 didn’t have much of a purpose anymore. For a time, everyone's powers, including the public who gained supernatural powers under the Green Clan's temporary victory, were slowly dissipating until none could feel the powers within. In a word, they were obsolete. Once the Blue Clansman tied up all the loose ends, including releasing the now powerless Strains in custody, talk of the department being shut down started to arise. It was all speculation, of course, but it was still very plausible. It was only when Munakata Reisi announced their nightmare-come-true that reality really began to sink in. Scepter 4, being Clansman... it was really all these people knew. How would they survive?

Not wanting to see his Clansman jobless, however, the former Blue King struck a deal with the new Prime Minister, for the previous one was now practically under house arrest on sexual harassment charges. The man was less than ecstatic about supernatural powers, Kings, and Clansman, but the Prime Minister surely pitied the department and had such a conscious that he couldn't let these men and women become unemployed after they worked so hard to rebuild the city. That, or it would be bad for his image. Regardless, it was decided that Scepter 4 would be labeled a “special” faction of the Tokyo metropolis police force, as before, however, Scepter 4 would deal with the more dark and dirty cases the force simply couldn’t crack. Of course, if that wasn't satisfactory to anyone, they were more than welcomed to join another social service they desired, no questions asked.

No one has yet to abandon their King.

Still, according to Awashima, those types of cases would start pouring in in the next two days or so.

That being said, tonight was a kind of celebration and ‘thanks’ for Scepter 4’s hard work, hosted by HOMRA and the White Rice Party. Apparently, Awashima, Kushina Anna, former Red King, and Yashiro Isana, also known as Adolf K. Weismann and former Silver King, had been secretly plotting this right under the Captain’s nose.

Fushimi clicked his tongue. As for the ‘how,’ Munakata simply jumped the third-in-command while he wasn’t paying attention and dragged him here. The boy hated to admit it but even without powers… Munakata Reisi was a force of nature in his own right.

“Get out of your head, Monkey, and join the party!” Yata Misaki ordered his old friend, pointing a not so discrete finger at the black-haired boy. The blush on Yata’s face was bright as his flames used to be. Just how much had the vanguard had to drink already tonight? Well, the guy was a bit of a lightweight, so it shouldn’t take much for him to get hammered.

The bartender and HOMRA’s second-in-command Kusanagi Izumo snickered from behind the bar as he polished his glassware, patiently waiting for someone to order another drink. “Can’t you let the guy enjoy his scotch, Yata? A little birdie told me that after tonight, these guys will go back to being busybodies.” Izumo looked at the ‘heartless woman’ and the strange concoction she requested from the bar from across the room and then back to Yata and Fushimi.

“Tch. That woman, telling everyone’s business,” Fushimi complained. He knew the bartender was referring to the Lieutenant. He set his empty glass of scotch down next to him on the bar, prompting Izumo to refill it again. Luckily, they were putting all this on the former Silver King’s tab as well as Awashima’s because these guys weren’t holding back any expense. “And I’m sorry we can’t all be carefree like some people,” Fushimi started at Yata, a snarky grin now on the boy’s face.

Before Yata could come up with a drunken retort, Neko’s voice could be heard throughout the bar. “Hey!” Neko poked Hieda Tōru’s face as he tried to drink his water. The boy’s body was possessed by the Colorless King and then became a vessel for Weismann until that fateful day over a year ago. Confused and lost, he was given help by a lot of the people around him. Now, he was a student at Ashinaka High School and stays with Weismann, Neko, and the Black Dog, Yatogami Kuroh, in their dorms. Neko could be a bit much for the teenager, as having the same face that Weismann once did was hard for the former Strain. She still had difficulty distinguishing between her and Weismann when she became too excited. “Hieda! Hieda!”

“W-what is it, Neko?!” replied the student, who was now completely exasperated. It took everything for him not to spill his water all over himself.

“Where’s Shiro?! Where’s Shiro?”

“Eh?” Ah. She was referring to the former Silver King. Everyone either called him Shiro or Weismann, though, the man preferred Shiro. Hieda looked around the bar. He saw Fushimi and Yata bickering amongst themselves with the bartender. Kuroh and Awashima were on the sofa opposite of them while the remainder of the Red and Blue Clansman were speaking amongst each other in various groups around the bar. Now that he actually had taken the time to review his surroundings, he realized that not only was Weismann absent, but so were Anna and Munakata. Hieda scratched his head in bewilderment. Didn’t they all come in together? Where did they all go?

Kuroh got up from the sofa abruptly, clearly a bit annoyed. “I will go look for them. I would hope that my King wouldn’t bail on his Clansman and leave them with the tab…”

“Meorrrwwww~! Take that back! My Shiro would never do such a thing!” The white-haired girl retorted. She pouted at the modern samurai, hands on her hips.

However, the Black Dog ignored his fellow Silver Clansman and simply walked out of the bar to find the three missing former Kings.

~~~~

“I feel bad for just leaving the others the way we did.”

Weismann sighed into his hands. They weren’t too far away from the bar, however. Perhaps a block or two. They took Munakata’s car a distance away to have a more private conversation. Though, the former Kings knew that it would only be a matter of time before everyone realized that he, Anna, and Munakata weren’t accounted for.

“We needed to speak privately, Adolf K. Weismann,” Munakata explained with a wave of his hand. The Scepter 4 Captain then adjusted his glasses. “I can’t be the only one feeling this… anomaly and I’m sure you didn’t just call this soiree together for good times and drinks.”

The former first King put on a fake smile. It was true enough that he had an ulterior motive, but it was all for the greater good! After all, he knew what the older man was referring to. It was a strange sensation that not even the scientist could understand. He was the first to mention it over the phone with Munakata, then with Anna, and they decided that now would be the best time than any to discuss it. After all, it was rare for all three of them to be in the same place together. Three heads were better than one.

Anna leaned back into the car seat and looked up at the former first King. “This sensation… it’s foreign, yet familiar in some way. It's like everything around me is getting heavier and heavier... slowly. Even now, I can feel it.” Anna pursed her lips, closing her eyes to clear her mind and find the best way to explain what she had been feeling for several weeks now. No one else within HOMRA had seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary, otherwise, they probably would have shared their concern with her. Weismann and Munakata concurred with this observation over the phone.

“I agree,” Munakata started. “It is apparent that only we former Kings are experiencing these small bursts of sensations. I have been trying to find out what it is but to no avail.”

Weismann gasped at one of his own thoughts. “You don’t think… it’s the Green Clan, do you?”

Munakata crossed his arms. “It’s a very unlikely possibility.”

“But still a possibility all the same,” the white-haired man pointed out.

“Yes. However, while Mishakuji Yukari and Gojo Sukuna are still alive, without any of their powers gained by Hisui Nagare, the former Green King, I don’t find them or any of the Green Clan’s leftover supporters, for that matter, to be a problem.” The Captain recalled the large amount support for the Green Clan his lieutenant and Mr. Kusanagi discovered when they had infiltrated a party hosted by the Green Clan what seemed like forever ago. The man couldn’t deny that it was all still fairly discouraging.

“I don’t think we should take this lightly. We have to protect everyone...” Anna stated softly. She pressed her hands together tightly. She was no longer the Red King, however, so how exactly would she protect her family?

“Anna’s right,” Weismann smiled brightly at her. “We should keep each other posted if we feel anything changing.”

Munakata sighed and fixed his glasses once more. “Yes. I suppose that’s all we can really do.”

By the time they all reached a consensus, the car was once again outside of the bar. Outside, the three former Kings could see Kuroh searching around for any trace of his Silver King. The boy held his katana close to his side as he looked, his eyes becoming increasingly worried. Sighing happily, Weismann opened the car door to greet as well as be lectured by the Black Dog. Munakata got out of the car next, then helped Anna out. Once the doors were shut and the car locked behind them, the two followed behind the former King, grinning as the man was berated by the black-haired boy while they entered HOMRA once more.

~~~~

The door chimed as the three former Kings and Kuroh entered the bar. Everyone was far too drunk to really pay them any mind and simply welcomed them back. After all, they were back now and that was all that mattered to the Clansman. Moments later, Weismann had taken his previous place amongst Kuroh, Neko, and Hieda. Awashima, however, decided to question her Captain, who was now resting at the bar a few stools away from Yata and Fushimi.

“Sir, may I ask where you’ve been?” Her long hair flowed behind her as she approached her superior, her heels also clacking on the wood floor.

The Captain smirked apologetically to his loyal Clansman. “Please forgive me, Miss. Awashima. I had something of the utmost importance to discuss with the former Kings. No need to worry. And in this setting, is there really any need for such formalities and professionalism?”

Awashima blushed at the man’s honesty, however, hurried to recompose herself. Clearing her throat, she decided to let the matter be and just change the subject. “Do you plan on ordering a drink tonight?”

Munakata hummed as he mulled over her question. “Maybe I will.” Turning to Kusanagi, the former Blue King ordered a fine martini for the two of them, adding Awashima’s bizarre preference of red bean paste to hers. As the two waited for their drinks, they took notice of Yata and Fushimi again. The two were still bickering like children.

“You wanna go, Monkey!?”

Fushimi gave a dismissingly teasing wave of his hand. “Please. You probably can’t even hit the right ‘me’ with how drunk you are.” The boy snickered as he held up his hand to Yata and presented him with three fingers in his face. “Can you even tell me how many fingers I’m holding up right now?”

Yata pressed his lips together, a slight frown on his face. He was drunk, yes, but it wasn’t like he couldn’t handle his liquor! Though he was happy that he and Fushimi and reconciled their friendship, this guy was still a huge pain in the ass. Clenching his fists together, he finally retorted. “I could kick your ass anytime, any place!”

Fushimi threw his head back in amusement and laughed before looking at Yata dead in his eyes. The night had been a total bust until now. How he loved to get the smaller boy riled up when they saw each other. “Really now?! I’d like to see…!”

Yata tilted his head in confusion. Why did the Monkey just… stop talking whatever shit he was going to say? Fushimi’s eyes were as wide as the moon, lips parted slightly as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t until only an annoyed scowl could be seen on the boy’s face. The skater then looked at the first and second command of the Blue Clan, for he could feel their gaze on him. In fact, he could feel everyone’s gaze on him.

Biting his lip, he traced the stares to the source… his fists. His firsts were covered in the magenta flames that he had known for years! Yata closed his eyes shut. The liquor. It had to be the liquor that was making him, and everyone else, see this. They were all pretty messed up right now, right? He kept thinking to himself that it wasn’t real, that it couldn’t be real. He knew the facts and the facts were that everyone had lost their powers a long time ago! There’s no way that the long-lost flames could be engulfing his hand in that same red he loved and respected. The same red that Suoh Mikoto and then Anna gave him when he thought he had really lost the place he grew to call home. Yata wouldn’t believe his own eyes. In fact, he concluded that when he opened them again, those flames would be gone… as if it was all a dream. Slowly, he opened his eyes again and inspected his hands...

...the flames were still there.


	2. (K)alling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was turning out to be pretty long so I had to break it down into at least two parts. Will hopefully write and post that soon.

Fushimi leaned forward.

Things had taken an interesting turn quickly. Before him were the magenta flames of the Red Clan, thought to be lost forever with the destruction of the Dresden Slate and the disappearance of the Sanctums. The former Silver King had explained that after what he did to his own Sword of Damocles, forcing a Damocles Down, they would never see another aura again. Yet, here there all stood—witnesses to the red aura.

Yata hadn’t moved an inch since seeing his flames again. The flames had completely died down and disappeared about a minute or two after it presented itself. The vanguard’s breathing was ragged, and his eyes darted between his hands and the wood floor, trying to make sense of what had just occurred. His mind was going a million miles a minute, for everything he had been told and believed could no longer be gospel.

Kusanagi walked over the boy from behind the bar with a tall glass of water. Urging the boy to snap out of his daze, he handed it to him and watched as the skater chugged it down. As he did, the bartender spoke calmly. “Time to calm down now, I think, Yata.”

The vanguard simply nodded and took a seat next to Fushimi, clenching the glass in his hands. “Did that… am I that wasted or was that real?” He whispered.

Kusanagi’s face settled into a confused scowl as he watched Yata sort through the past five minutes. If Yata was able to emit his aura once more, could the rest of them? The bartender took turns looking at the three former Kings to try to get a feel for what exactly was going to go down next now that everyone seemed to be sobered up with that pleasant surprise. Munakata had a fixed gaze on the high school professor while the latter was looking down at the floor with his hand holding his chin up, deep in thought. It wasn’t surprising. The Silver King hadn’t expected something like this. No one did. He then turned his attention to the small girl sitting across from him. She, too, was staring down at the ground, her long white hair covering up whatever emotion she had, however, it was clear that she had her red marble in her hands. “Hey, Anna…?”

Anna looked up at the man through the marble, her eyes wide but still silent. She then looked at the rest of her company. Anna had lost her kingship and her Strain abilities not too long after the Dresden Slate was destroyed. The girl even managed to find some sort of normalcy in all this and started middle school. But this… this changed everything. The moment she saw the magenta flames, she could feel something within her rising. She could feel her aura coming back and her Strain abilities, as well, for everyone’s emotions and feelings within that room became crystal clear to her through her marble. Tucking her treasure in her pocket, Anna quickly got up and pulled on Weismann’s sleeve. The man looked up at her, bewildered. What he saw was the sheer determination in her eyes and felt as though he had no choice but to follow her lead. The girl pulled him up to his feet and then dragged him with her to face Munakata, who had been simply watching the scene unfold. “We need to try to call upon our Sanctums.”

The professor frowned as he ran his fingers through his white hair. “But… the Captain’s and my Sword of Damocles...”

“Shiro’s Sword of Damocles was forced into a Damocles Down, destroying the Slate!” Kuroh lamented. “Would it even be possible…?”

“And that resulted in my Sword of Damocles disappearing before a second Damocles Down could occur,” Munakata mumbled. “If I were to attempt calling my Sanctum and it turns out to be in the same precarious state it was in before, everyone would be at risk…” Munakata turned to his Lieutenant. “If that would so happen to be the case, I will have to ask this of you once more.” Munakata didn’t have to finish his sentence for her to understand what he was asking. If there was a chance that his Sword would fall down to the earth, she would have to end his life after all. Awashima nodded slowly. She would do what she must.

Fushimi grimaced. “So, you all are really going to go through with this?” He didn’t really need to ask, however, because deep down he knew what his Captain was going to do. It was the most logical thing to do at this time. Anna’s aura was slowly returning right in front of them. Now, if her Sword of Damocles had returned, as well, the Blue and Silver Kings had to know where they stood in all of this, to determine what state their Swords were in, if the Sword even existed.

Munakata took a final swing of his martini and smiled his signature mischievous smile that made the third in command want to throw up. “Of course.” As he made his way to the door he started to give an order to his Clansman as well as the Red and Silver Clans. “All Kings and Clansman from the Silver, Red and Blue Clans must now be escorted to Scepter 4 headquarters. There, we will determine the state of our Swords of Damocles and auras.”

The Red Clan looked at each other and then at Anna for confirmation. When she nodded for them to listen to the Blues’ instructions, they immediately complied and began to pile out of the bar. The Blue Clan and the Silver Clan hurried out, as well, until all was left was Yata, Fushimi, and Kusanagi.

“You two go on ahead. I’ll need to lock my bar on the way out.” Kusanagi sighed. He’d need a cigarette after tonight, he just knew it. Though, if he had to test to see if he could use his powers again, he supposed he would be smoking a bit. The two boys weren’t exactly moving as he asked, so with a tired groan, the man grabbed his keys having decided to just wait outside for the two youngsters to have their moment together.

Fushimi slouched on the stool for a moment before getting up. Munakata was going to make him staff the monitors, so to save himself the trouble he thought he’d better get going. As he made his way out, he noticed that Yata was at least standing, but he was frozen in place. He just stared at his hands with an increasingly annoying small smile and a slight blush.

“Tch! Get a move on,” the boy commanded in one breath. He had the door open now and was ready to go. “Thanks to you, I’ve got work to do.”

The vanguard snapped out of his daydreaming and hurried to join his fellow Clansman and the Blues and Silvers outside, but not before grabbing his skateboard. “Uh, my bad. Mr. Kusanagi is waiting for us, so he can lock up, too.”

“Damn right, I am.” The older man stated annoyingly from behind the opened door. Once they exited the building, he locked up and told the boys they’d speak at Scepter 4’s HQ and started his trip to the meeting place.

Yata lifted his arms over his head to stretch. It was obvious that he had his powers back, and now that he wasn’t as shocked beyond belief, he was going to travel by board. As he hopped on his board, he waved to his friend. “Alright, Saruhiko. I’ll meet you back at the Blues’ place.” Fushimi nodded, prompting the skater to startup his flames and skate away.

While Fushimi watched his friend disappear into the distance, he couldn’t help but wonder if Yata’s blushing was from the alcohol, or from potentially being able to be connected to everyone again… Tch. Or something like that.

~~~~

 

While everyone else was in the courtyard to prepare the field test, Awashima was on standby within Scepter 4’s monitor room. Fushimi was at work with the largest monitor available, typing away and looking at data as he was preparing for their field test on the King’s Sanctums. Suddenly, the Lieutenant’s PDA sounded.

“Sir,” Awashima answered. She paused for a moment, listening intently. “Yes, sir… Fushimi is ready… you all may proceed as soon as possible.” Again, the woman paused. She looked over at Fushimi who had just projected video surveillance images of the three Kings and their Clansman. The boy looked as bored and nonchalant as ever. How was he not nervous?! “Y-you want to try… last, sir…? Uh, no. I have no objections… yes, understood. Good luck to you, Captain.” Awashima pushed a button on her PDA, ending the call. “He wishes to go last since he is potentially… the most dangerous.”

“Tch.” Fushimi observed the woman’s obvious reluctance and fear. “You don’t say…” Awashima sighed and wrapped her arms around herself.

“What if his Sword of Damocles…?” She whispered more so to herself, but Fushimi was still in perfect earshot of her.

The third-in-command clicked his tongue. He couldn’t believe he had to console his superior like this. “You know as well as anyone here that we have to do this.” Fushimi pulled up the data for her to see on the larger monitor. “With this, I’ll know the state of his Sword of Damocles before it even materializes. There’s a window of time for us to respond accordingly.”

Awashima looked up at the monitor. “Yes, you’re right… we have nothing to fear.” Feeling slightly better with the help of the third-in-command's words, Awashima stepped towards her nearest desk and grabbed a headset, placing it in one of her ears. She would be able to communicate with the Kings this way and give them proper directions.

He only huffed as he turned to face the monitor again, waiting for the activation of a Sanctum. “Who’s first?”

“Miss Kushina of the Red Clan.”

“Right.” With a push of several buttons, Fushimi had the camera focus on the little girl and her band of misfits. He then pulled up the Red Sword of Damocles’ data. Yata could be seen standing with them, his expression excited yet nervous. All was left was to see if Anna was still their King and if everyone else could use their powers, too.

Awashima pressed a hand to the headset. “Is HOMRA ready to proceed?”

Anna looked up in the direction of one of the cameras and nodded. “I’m ready.” Once she heard Awashima’s voice giving her permission to try to call the giant red Sword, Anna stepped forward and closed her eyes. Putting her hands to her heart, all she could do was hope. She had convinced herself that she was okay with losing her powers and no longer being HOMRA’s King, but in truth, she did miss it at times. Lifting her arms in the air, she concentrated on the familiar feelings she had in the bar as her power began to rise upon seeing Yata’s red. Their red. Mikoto’s red. She could hear gasps and excited cheers around her as her red aura began to cover her head to toe. Staring up at the sky, she smiled warmly. “Can you see, too, Mikoto…? Our beautiful red.”

Everyone looked up at the sky as Anna silently called upon her Sanctum, the red bursts of power dancing around her Sword of Damocles. At the sight of the sword, HOMRA roared up at the sky, their bodies now all being caressed by the red aura and the magenta flames curling around fists and fingers one by one until everyone within HOMRA was on fire.

The vanguard tilted his head back and with as much gusto that he could muster, he yelled: “Hell yeah! No bone, no blood, no ash! No bone, no blood, no ash!” Everyone joined in unison with their vanguard, repeating their mantra as loudly as they could.

The Red King, Kushina Anna, had returned.

~~~~

Once the Red Clan had calmed down, it was the Silver Clan’s turn. Everyone had explained the whole thing to Hieda once he returned to normal and, in a way, he became an honorary member, but he was unable to be given any powers from the Silver Clan. Kuroh and Neko got into the position. All was left was for Weismann to step forward and call upon his Sanctum, however, the Silver King was… hesitant. He looked down at the stone under his feet. He had calculated that they would never have their powers again. They would be ordinary people, living ordinary lives, so this… this shouldn’t have been possible. Yet, here he was, preparing to attempt in calling his Sanctum. There’s no way they’d see his silver Sword in the sky… right?

Neko could sense her King's hesitance and fear. She danced over to him, jumping towards him on her final step and nearly knocking him over. “Let’s go~! We have to see if we have powers like Anna, Shiro!”

Weismann patted Neko on her head but bowed his head so that she couldn’t see the face he was making over something that, to him, should be easy for him. He held his red umbrella tightly in his hand. “What if… it’s not there?”

Neko’s bell chimed as she moved her head to the side, trying to figure out how she would respond to make him happy again. “Well, we’re still going to eat rice at our table at home, right? We’re the White Rice Party! It’s what we do, with or without fancy powers, meow.”

“Well, this is true… but…” The young man wasn’t entirely sure what to say. He couldn’t exactly put his worries into words.

Kuroh scratched his head as he watched his King fight himself in front of him. Taking out his voice recorder, Kuroh trudged over to his King, gripped his shoulder, and spun the white-haired boy around to face him properly. He was going to have the first King see reason. If Weismann was so adamant about discovering why this was all occurring, the first step would be to see if everyone had the powers again and simply go from there. He knew that his late master, Miwa Ichigen and former Colorless King, would have some wise words to get him through his inner struggles.

Weismann watched Kuroh stick the recorder in his face and jumped back slightly with Neko in tow, fearful that he had angered his friend to the point where he would hit him with his precious keepsake. Kuroh pressed a button on the recorder and a bright red blush appeared upon his face after hearing the sweet poetic words of his late master: 'Being afraid, it is natural. But do not let fear stop you from doing what you must. Let it light a fire in you to move forward despite the fear.'

Once static was the only sound coming from the recorder, Kuroh turned it off and stuffed it into his pocket again and huffed. Staring at the former Silver King, he waited for his answer. Neko watched, as well, not entirely sure as to what that was all about.

Weismann began to snicker and then laugh aloud, much to everyone’s surprise. Once he finished, he wiped a stray tear from his eye. “…Creepy. But thank you.” He smiled warmly at the Black Dog as the latter took Neko so that they could back into position behind their King. Taking a deep breath, he held a hand to the earpiece Scepter 4 had given him. “Sorry for the wait, Miss Awashima. I’m about to try it, now, if everything is ready on your end.”

He heard a moment of silence before he could hear the young woman’s voice. She was most likely readying themselves for the next test now that he was ready. “You may proceed, Adolf K. Weismann.”

Never did he think for a second he would be doing this again, even though his memories of being the Silver King were rather short and didn’t have many opportunities to actually be the Silver King. Shiro gulped as he stared up at the sky before he slowly shut his eyes. “Well, here goes everything.”

A few moments pass when all the sudden, Neko and Kuroh were engulfed in a bright silver light. Kuroh looked at himself in amazement while Neko yipped and hollered, as if it was their first time being surrounded by the silver light. He could feel the power of the Silver King and the Colorless King within him once more. A breath of relief escaped his lips. Not only was he connected to his late master again, but he was connected to Weismann as his Clansman. Kuroh then looked up at the sky. “I can’t believe it…” Kuroh marveled. It had survived. The Silver King’s Sword of Damocles was now shining brightly in the sky, completely intact. The sun made it even more beautiful than he remembered. All the orbs representing the different clans sparkled in front of the sunlight. Upon observing Weismann, the man was completely engrossed in what he was doing. His arms were stretched to the sky and his breathing was calm and steady. From behind him, Kuroh couldn’t tell if he was taking in the sight of his Sword or not.

“Shiro!” Hieda was running towards the Silver King, a gleam in his eyes. “You did it! You did it! Your Sword of Damocles is up in the sky!”

Neko purred in delight as she changed into her cat form for the first time in a year. “Meow~!” Changing back, she was as gleeful as ever. “I’m a real cat again! Yay!”

Weismann opened an eye and looked up into the sky along with his comrades. Once he saw the Sword, he gasped, both eyes now wide as the moon. His umbrella hit the stone surface as his arms and hands fell to his side, for he lost his hold on the umbrella’s handle. He could see it with his own eyes but couldn’t believe it. At that moment, he felt tears rolling down his cheeks as he focused on the golden orb of his Sword. What would his old friend and late Gold King Daikaku Kokujoji say in a situation like this? He couldn't help but think the Lieutenant was smiling down on him.

Picking up his umbrella again, he opened it to hide his face so only a soft smile could be seen from behind it. He turned to face a worried Hieda, Kuroh, and Neko. “I guess this means… I’m your King again. Heh. Please bear with it.”

They all smiled at each other upon hearing their King speak, however, Kuroh was the one to speak for them all. “Welcome back, Immortal King, the First and Silver King.”

“Pftt! What's with that long title?" The Silver King laughed. "But, I'm... glad to be back.”


	3. (K)olor Blue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sick and tired, but I wanted to get the chapter out of my head.

Elsewhere in the city, a man in a black coat sits atop of a tall building, surrounded by monitors in which each one is projecting the same scenes: The Silver and Red Kings calling their Sanctums for the first time in over a year. Frowning, he pulled out a small PDA and dialed an unsaved number. It rings only once when a cold, raspy voice answers.

“What have you to report?”

“Unfortunately,” the man paused as he looks at the last monitor of the celebrating Silver Clan. “The Red and Silver Kings have regained their kingship without fail. Their Clansman has also regained their auras. Strains have also regained their abilities.” The man looked at the screen in which Neko is transforming into a cat and then back into a human girl.

Silence. “Unfortunate, indeed. And what of the Captain?”

“He is the last to try. I assume they fear that his Sword will fall the moment it is called… so they waited.”

“Ah, yes. If I recall, his Sword of Damocles was close to killing the blue annoyance and all in the vicinity. What a pity.” Another pause from the man on the other side of the call. “According to our data, what are the chances of the Blue King regaining his kingship?”

“At this point, sir, it is very likely.” The man clicked his tongue as he thought about his next set of words. “We might have to consider ‘Plan B.’”

“It’s looking that way.” The man in the black coat could hear a groan on the other end. “Oh, and what of the girl? Has she been found?”

“No, sir. She still eludes us.”

“Dammit all!” The voice cursed. “I want her found, Goto Masa! Our success heavily depends on that girl! You are aware of this, yes?!”

Masa smiled apologetically, though, his superior would be unable to see him. “Yes, sir. And with her powers of a Strain now surely reactivated, finding her is of top-priority. Please do not fear. I have a plan set in motion that will guarantee she be found and brought to you on a silver platter.”

“Hmph. See that she is.” The man’s voice had calmed down with Goto’s words. “Return to the base as soon as possible with an update on the last King. And do make sure your drone isn’t discovered,” the man sighed.

“Of course, my Creator of Kings.” Goto could hear a click, indicating that his superior had ended the call. Rubbing the nape of his neck, Goto put his PDA down next to him and began looking at the monitors around him. The drone he was using was undetectable, but he still wanted to finish his mission. During his call, Scepter 4 must have started on the last test because on every monitor now stood Munakata Reisi, the former Third King. The other Kings and Clans had also hurried inside to wait for further instruction. Behind Munakata were several of his Clansman, patiently waiting for their Captain and his decisive moment.

Grinning slyly, Goto leaned back on one of his palms. The concrete was cold against his hand, and the slight autumn breeze didn’t help it much. “Show me something good, Munakata Reisi.”

~~~~

Awashima held her breath as she watched her Captain close his eyes in concentration.

He was the only one left in which they had to test, however, there was a lot more risk in this test than the previous ones. She trusted the third-in-command’s words, that Munakata would live through this even if his Sword of Damocles was damaged to the point of falling to the earth. She wrapped her arms around herself as tightly as she could, as if she was trying to keep the nerves within her stomach down. She just had to believe in her Captain, and worry about everything else a little later…

Abruptly, the alarm went off, warning the two that a Sanctum was being activated. Moving over to the younger boy, Awashima urged him to tell her the Captain’s status. “Well?! Fushimi?!”

Fushimi’s eyes darted between data after data until he stopped, a knowing grin now on his face. He looked at a bewildered Awashima. Instantaneously, Fushimi and Awashima were engulfed in the cool, blue aura, prompting an uncharacteristic girlish shriek from Awashima. Fushimi watched at the young woman grew accustomed to the blue aura again while he, on the other hand, grew accustomed to the red and green auras, as well, which were now dancing amongst the blue aura around him. Both he and Awashima could feel the connection between Clansman and King.

“Does this mean what I think it does?” Awashima finally asked as she stared at the blue around her hands.

Fushimi, stoic once more, looked at the monitors one last time, observing a completely intact blue Sword of Damocles. On another monitor, he witnessed the rest of the Blue Clan’s revived aura and a flabbergasted Munakata. “Yeah.”

“We’re back, then… the Blue Clan and their King have returned… Captain.” Awashima whispered in relief. Once she had a moment to compose herself, she decided it best to contact the Captain through the headset. She touched it gently and began to speak. “Captain, how are you feeling?”

“I’m fine, Miss Awashima. How do you and Mr. Fushimi fair?” The man quizzed. Awashima watched as he held a hand to the headset.

“Fine, sir. Our auras have reappeared just as it did for the Red and Silver Clans, respectively. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, your Sword of Damocles has retained no damages from nine months ago.”

Munakata furrowed his brow. While it was excellent news that his Sword had materialized good as new, that was also just another mystery and question added to his mental list of inquiries. Now that everything was all set and done, how was it all set and done? Why had their powers returned? What exactly did this all mean in terms of the Dresden Slate? Sighing, he gave an order to his second-in-command. “Have the Red and Silver Kings meet me in my office first thing tomorrow morning. Their second and third-in-commands, as well, since I require Mr. Fushimi and yourself to be present. A second Coffee Table Conference, if you will.”

Ignoring the Captain’s corny joke, Awashima replied before ending the call. “Yes, sir!”

~~~~

Munakata sat at his desk with Fushimi standing to his left and Awashima standing to his right. It was now morning and before him were the newly revived First King, the Silver King Yashiro Isana, or Adolf K. Weismann, and the Third King, the Red King Kushina Anna. Both had their second and third-in-commands with them: Kuroh and Neko from the White Rice Party and Kusanagi and Yata from HOMRA.

Munakata began first. “Well, this is an unlikely turn of events, isn’t it, Adolf K. Weismann?”

Weismann laughed nervously. He wasn’t expecting this at all, all three Kings, a year later, regaining their titles of King... “Honestly, I’m at a loss for words. I didn’t expect this to even be remotely possible.”

The Blue King leaned back in his chair. “Indeed. But it has happened, nonetheless. Not only that, but it appears former Strains have also regained their abilities. This does not include those that gained supernatural powers during when the Dresden Slate had been lost to the Green Clan.” Sighing, the man brought up several monitors up around them so that everyone could see. “I must also apologize to you two.” Munakata paused and took turns looking up at his subordinates with an apologetic puppy face.

Fushimi clicked his tongue. “…and this is to show us what?”

“As of late, the three of us had been feeling a strange anomaly in the air and we failed to mention it to our Clansman. Once everyone retired, I did a little digging and decided to visit the old program.”

“This program is used to monitor Weismann levels of Kings.” Awashima explained to the less in-the-know company. “It runs automatically in the background, but once we all lost our abilities upon the destruction of the Slate, we didn’t really pay it any mind.”

“Precisely.” Munakata adjusted his glasses. “A fault on our end that will not be made again.” Pointing at small bumps of the curve, Munakata continued. “I have reason to believe that these deviants are what we have been sensing. They seem to match up to the moments in time that I felt something.”

Anna looked up at the last bump. “That’s the last time we felt something… it was moments before I saw Yata’s red.”

“That’s around the time the three Kings returned to the bar,” Kuroh affirmed.

Weismann pursed his lips in thought. His brain was formulating hypothesis after hypothesis. “Now, this is just me thinking aloud, but what if those sensations were each of us sensing the other?”

“How do you mean, Shiro?” Kuroh asked. The Kings couldn’t do such a thing before without either of them summoning their Swords of Damocles.

“Let’s say that, somehow, the Dresden Slate… survived, or rather…”

“It’s regenerating,” Munakata stated. The Captain then sped up the graph up until last night. “As you all can see, Weismann levels of all three Kings returned to normal the moment we all called our Sanctums, as if nothing had happened to the Slate. And if you look at this figure here you can witness gradual increases of the Slate’s power over the last year. Even as we speak, it continues to rise.”

“Meaning the Silver, Red, and Blue Kings are still bound to the Slate and at that current rate, the Clans should be at full power by tomorrow. This sensation that you all have been feeling was probably the Slates rebuilding itself and reforming the bond with each living King.” Fushimi hypothesized. "It was so great that the Kings could sense it in each other."

Munakata smiled proudly. “My thoughts exactly, Mr. Fushimi. With this level of power, even Strains should have regained their abilities prior to our discovery, say five to six months ago, however, the level of that power was so minuscule that none noticed. That would explain why Ameno Miyabi, or Neko, and Anna hadn't been able to use their powers.”

The third-in-command placed a hand on his hips and looked away from his annoying Captain. “Tch. So, everyone has powers again. But that doesn’t explain how the Dresden Slate still exists.”

The Silver King narrowed his eyes and clenched his umbrella tightly in his hand. Something didn’t feel right about this. “One cannot create or even reconstruct something from nothing,” he murmured. “This shouldn’t be possible… unless…” Weismann brought a hand to his chin as he contemplated his thought. That had to be the only way the Dresden Slate survived a direct hit from a Damocles Down. The group looked at the Immortal King, all obviously confused, so he elaborated. “What I’m saying is that what if someone is orchestrating the revival of the Dresden Slate? With modern day technology, perhaps it’s possible.”

Yata, having only understood the last part, groaned. Massaging the nape of his neck, he asked: “So some smartass bastard wanted us to have our powers again? What does a guy like that have to gain?”

He just couldn't understand it. Sure, he was happy that it had happened, but everyone had just gotten used to ordinary lives, he included.

He and Fushimi both ended up getting their GED. Fushimi still had no interest in college, but Yata was sure that the boy would do something great with his skills. Yata, on the other hand, decided to go to college, though he didn't know what for. They lived together again, so at least he had a place to return to. As for the others, they managed to either enroll in college, too or get full-time or part-time jobs or started running their own establishments and such.

Fushimi folded his arms. “Heh.” He snickered. “That’s a fair question, coming from you. Mi~sa~ki.” Yata pouted, but a stern look from Kusanagi told him it wasn’t the time nor place to pick a fight. Awashima gave Fushimi the same stern look, causing the boy to click his tongue in annoyance.

“That seems to be the million-dollar question,” Awashima sighed. “With the Captain’s permission, Scepter 4 will investigate this matter. With this new development, I'm certain adjustments need to be made. We'll have to make a visit to the Prime Minister.”

“HOMRA will also aid in any way that we can,” Anna stated, prompting Munakata to smile appreciatively at the young King.

Neko began to jump around, somehow excited. “If Anna is going to help, so it Neko and the White Rice Party!” She looked at Kuroh and her King for support, which she received with very little reluctance, well, perhaps a bit from Kuroh but the cat-girl paid the modern samurai no mind.

Munakata then leaned back and nodded. “Naturally. However, we must not forget that Scepter 4 is also responsible for keeping order within the city. That has not changed. We must be vigilant with our “special foreigners” now that the Slate is reactivating. And I did make a deal with the Prime Minister. We will still be receiving cases from the police force.”

Kusanagi snickered. “Well, Miss Awashima, it looks like I won’t be seeing you around my bar for some time.” He lifted his hands and defeat and shook his head, seemingly disappointed while Awashima just huffed and looked away.

As everyone began ending the meeting for the day, Weismann couldn’t help but feel uneasy. Things were starting to get complicated.


	4. (K)ase

Fushimi groaned as the sunlight peered through his sleeping quarters within Scepter 4’s Headquarters. Sitting up, he wiped the sleep from his eyes. With everything that had happened in the last two days, was ‘exhausted’ the correct word to use? Though he hadn’t shown it yesterday when the three Kings met, his mind was working its magic, looking through all his archives to find the answers to a million questions but to no avail. He had nearly overworked his brain trying to piece everything together. It was like trying to finish a puzzle piece that hadn’t even come with all the pieces. A rip-off. An annoyance. Staring at his hands, he could feel his power within him again as if the past year were just a dream. Three auras from three different Kings: Red, Blue, and Green. Back then, when he infiltrated, he hadn’t really thought about his newfound power all that much. All he was really focused on was his mission and, of course, somehow getting out of there alive, however slim those chances were. He could never have anticipated regaining his powers again. What made it even more frustrating is that someone in the shadows essentially gave him back his old life, like he was so weak that he needed such things again.

Finally forcing himself out of bed, he sauntered to his dresser, pulling out garment after garment of his uniform. In a swift motion, he placed his uniform on his messy bed and then entered his bathroom, taking off articles of clothing off as he went. Once his hygienic standards were met, he finally put on his uniform. Fushimi checked his state of dress in the mirror briefly, grabbed his PDA from the charger, and locked the door behind him upon exiting his room.

With everything that had been going on, the Clansman hadn't been home for several days. He had to stay at Scepter 4, much to Yata's dismay, however, it couldn't be helped. As Fushimi lumbered throughout the hall towards his waiting breakfast, he felt a hand grasp his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. Turning around irritably, he found that the hand belonged to Akiyama Himori. Having gotten the third-in-command’s attention, the Clansman let go. “What is it?” Fushimi grumbled. He was hungry and didn’t feel like chatting.

Akiyama held a paper bag in front of him, prompting the younger Clansman to take it. Fushimi could smell the faint aroma of a bagel. “The Captain procured your breakfast for you and asks that you meet him in his office… for breakfast.” Akiyama gave Fushimi a small smile that the younger couldn’t help but translate into an expression of pity for having to eat breakfast with their eccentric Captain.

Clicking his tongue, he turned away from Akiyama. “Fine, thank you for letting me know.” With that, the boy pivoted his foot and made his way to the Captain. What could he possibly want this early in the morning? It was clear to everyone that the Dresden Slate was active, but it was nothing that they couldn't handle. Even the people that had gained powers when the Green King had control of the Slate for a time no longer had any powers. It was only the previously documented Strains that they had to look out for, but they already had personnel on it. Scepter 4 checked to make sure of that yesterday after the meeting. Mulling the possibility over, he thought that maybe the Captain had a mission or case for him, and simply wanted to present it to him in the most annoyingly obnoxious way possible. That seemed more so like the Captain than anything else.

Once he made it to the door, Fushimi knocked twice. “Fushimi reporting, sir,” he introduced.

“Ah, come in.” Fushimi opened the door and saw Munakata sitting on the left side of the room where the Captain usually dined. Sighing, the Clansman walked over and slipped off his boots to sit with the Captain. Once the boy began eating the bagel, the Captain spoke again. “Is the bagel to your liking, Mr. Fushimi?”

“…it is satisfactory, sir.” He answered.

“Good, good. I wasn’t sure what you preferred.” Munakata took a sip of his tea.

Fushimi was getting annoyed. He wanted to get straight to the point of this. Why was he here? “What did you call me in here for, sir?” He asked, barely being able to hide his obvious irritation.

“Can’t a Captain dine with his favorite third-in-command?” The man smirked slyly before taking a sip of his tea, closing his eyes to savor the flavor of his drink. He opened an eye to peak a Fushimi, who was less than happy with the Captain’s teasing. Realizing that he should quit is fun before the scary boy got too upset, he picked up a file from the space next to him and handed it to Fushimi. “Very well. Down to business. I have a case for you.”

So that’s it, Fushimi thought. The Clansman took the paper and began to view the contents. He narrows his eyes at the Captain after a few seconds. “What is this, sir?” Fushimi took out the sheets of paper rather aggressively and placed them between him and the Blue King. “There’s barely anything to this case! No background, no basic information, relatives, and one picture of some girl that’s less than useful. Besides, I thought we were simply going back to regular protocol.”

Munakata looked at the profile spread out next to him. He had already looked at the contents of the file numerous times, so he understood the young man’s frustration. At first, the Blue King was going to toss out the case altogether, thinking it was a joke, but with some reflecting, he decided it would be in the Clan’s best interest to find the girl as requested by the police. “I understand your concerns, Mr. Fushimi, but I assure you that you are more than qualified to handle this case. She is suspected of being involved some way or another with various crimes throughout the city. Disappearances and kidnapping, theft… you get the picture.” The Captain set down his now empty cup of tea and turned to face the fuming boy, Munakata’s first real show of eye contact since Fushimi had arrived. “You can see as to why they want her in their custody, yes?”

Fushimi clicked his tongue. The boy was assigned this case and there was nothing he could say or do to get his Captain to change his mind. Perhaps a speck of him thought that Scepter 4 would go back to the way they used to be right away now that they knew that somewhere the Dresden Slate was activated once more. There had been several new Strains that they had to deal with already, so it would only be natural that everyone wanted to put ‘ordinary’ cases from the police force on the back-burner. Then again, they weren't technically out of the deal yet with their purpose being ever so graciously returned.

This just seemed like a tedious task from a lazy department. “Yes, sir.”

The Blue King smiled triumphantly. “That’s the spirit!”

“Will I have a partner in this case?”

“Unfortunately, I have no one available to assist you currently. Of course, you have my permission to take up the Silver and Red Kings’ offer. We'll consider them 'special' operatives for the moment, rather than civilians. I’m sure they will be able to assist you.” The Blue King then cleaned up the papers between them and placed them in the folder. Handing the file to Fushimi, he began again. “After all, the last sighting of the girl seems to be HOMRA’s bar.”

~~~~

Fushimi stood outside bar HOMRA, letting out an exasperated sigh before hearing the chime of the door’s bell opening and closing behind him. Surveying the first floor, it appears the main members of HOMRA were all present and accounted for. Clicking his tongue, he surmised that the Captain had called them in advance and asked the lot of them to welcome their former comrade.

“Hey, Fushimi. Ya hear about that thing the Blue King mentioned?” Fushimi gave the bartender a bored look as a reply. Kusanagi winced as if the boy’s cold stare had penetrated his chest, issuing a sharp pain. Around him Fushimi could see HOMRA snicker at their second-in-command’s performance, Yata Misaki included.

“Don’t be like that, Saru,” the red-haired boy chimed in. He waved a hand in the air to dismiss Kusanagi’s teasing and to try to get his easily annoyed friend to calm down before he let his smart mouth get him in trouble with the guys. After all, from his understanding, Fushimi needed their cooperation.

“Tch… one to talk.” Fushimi nodded courtly at his former Clansman and then proceeded to stalk to the counter to take a seat next to Anna the Red King and directly in front of Kusanagi at the same time. “And yes, I am.”

Pulling out the file, he pulled out a larger picture of the girl in question and placed in on the counter for everyone to get a good look at. There were a few hums and whistles that Fushimi couldn’t help but detest. The quality of the photo still wasn’t all that great, as it was still blurry, but at least they could see the girl better. She was roughly he and Yata’s age, had dirty blondish-pink hair, lilac eyes and to most of the male populous, she would probably be considered attractive.

Anna looked at the picture carefully and curiously with her marble. “I remember her. She was here several nights ago.” Now that she had her powers back, she wanted to first get a good look at her and then see if she could track the girl. It might take a while, but if the girl was still in the city, Anna could probably locate her.

“Kind of creepy that someone took a picture of her as she’s leaving the bar,” Kamamoto Rikio murmured.

Fujishima Kōsuke scratched his head. “Probably a satellite or something,” he suggested timidly. “Even far away, you’d have to get better quality than this.”

“Tch. What PDA do you know that takes that good of a picture, ‘specially at night?” Yata barked. He had a rosy blush all over his cheeks and his face looked as ridiculous as it did the time he crashed his board when he mistook a picture of a girl for a real one.

Fushimi smirked at him. He couldn’t help but want to make fun of Yata’s obvious virginity like he would normally do, but that all had to wait.

Though he was sure that HOMRA didn’t mean to, they made a good point about the photo quality. Even when the Silver King was being framed for murdering Totsuka Tatara, the image quality and video were a lot better than this—and those images came from an old camera. Where did this photo even come from? Was it really from a satellite or a PDA?

Turning his attention to Anna, he asked, “Do you think you could track her? Not even Scepter 4 can get a lock on her location. There’s nothing in the system about her either.”

“So, it’s like she doesn’t exist?” Anna looked at Fushimi with the same doll-like expression, with the latter simply nodding to answer her question.

“She’s probably got some skill in hacking and made it as such that she didn’t have an identity.” Heh. No wonder she was difficult for the authorities to find. She was appearing to be increasingly dangerous. Once Anna was satisfied with his answer, she left the group of men and scurried over to the coffee table where a map of the city had already been placed for her to start her search. Removing four marbles from her pockets, she placed them in their proper position on the map and sat down on the sofa’s ledge, concentrating.

Fushimi turned completely around to watch her intently as she worked, leaning against the bar, before the sound of Kusanagi interrupted his focus. “While you’re here, can I get ya something to eat? Drink, maybe?”

The third-in-command looked over his shoulder to reply to the bartender. “Nothing with vegetables.”

~~~~

Fushimi looked at his PDA. It was now seven in the evening and it had roughly been an hour since Anna began the daunting task of tracking down his person-of-interest.

All the while, he had been bickering with the easily angered Yata so at least he wasn’t completely bored. Slowly, members of HOMRA had been saying their ‘farewells’ and ‘goodnights’ until the moment they would meet up again. To be in this environment for this long seemed surreal to the turncoat. It had been several years since he left HOMRA and joined Scepter 4, but even he could notice the change in the seemingly former street gang. Everyone seemed to have lives of their own now. Even Yata wasn’t talking about HOMRA nearly as much as he used to, albeit he still did, and it was still too much for Fushimi’s liking.

Despite all this, the boy was losing his patience. Was this girl even a match for the Red King, being able to stay hidden from the young King’s special abilities? Clicking his tongue, he changed his position from the barstool to the sofa facing the young girl. He watched as she concentrated, her red eyes following the circular motion of the marbles.

“Nothing?” Fushimi mumbled. The girl shook her head sadly.

“Better just let her concentrate, Saru,” Yata urged through his PDA. “She’ll find who you’re looking for eventually. And when she does, we’ll go grab her.”

“Who said you could come?” Fushimi asked dryly.

Yata growled but grew quiet once he noticed Anna’s marbles. They were now in a spot relatively close by from their location. Anna pointed to the spot on the map, “You’ll find who you’re looking for there.”

Curious and intent on teaming up with his friend like they used, Yata dashed over to see where the marbles had landed. “Haah? I know that place. They got some pretty fancy looking apartments in that area. This chick must be loaded!”

Fushimi clicked his tongue. If she was this well off, what could her involvement in these cases be? What would be her motive?

Well, they’d soon learn. Turning to Yata, the Blue Clansman scowled and folded his arms as he thought about his friend’s usefulness to this case. Fushimi wanted to leave immediately to bring the girl in, but even if she was found, he doubted that she would come with him easily. If she gave the authorities this much trouble, to the point where they had to assign this case to someone from Scepter 4, there had to be more about her that they didn’t know. Granted, it was just a feeling, but it warranted caution. Perhaps the extra help would prove to be beneficial. He and Yata worked well together now that their friendship had gone through some damage control, and his Captain did not give him a limit as to what help he could accept from the Clans.

Yata looked at Fushimi expectantly, causing the boy to be somewhat uncomfortable with the genuine desire to help. “So, you’ll let me come?”

“Why do you want to help so much?” Fushimi quizzed. “I don’t doubt that the moment you see her you’ll freeze up like you normally do.”

Yata turned away abruptly, rubbing his cheek in the process. There was a clear shade of red on his face. “W-well, this girl seems like she could cause trouble for HOMRA and Anna!”

“For me?” Anna was now looking at the vanguard, clearly puzzled. She couldn’t figure out how she played a role in Yata’s desire to catch the mysterious girl.

“Yeah, if she’s really a criminal, she has no business being in bar HOMRA, where you are! What if she tries to take you or somethin’?” Ah. His protective side was showing. His shade of red grew brighter once he heard a snicker not too far away, obviously belonging to Kusanagi.

“I suppose Yata has a point.” Kusanagi shook his head, a sad smile on his face. “I couldn’t imagine if she tried to steal from my bar.”

Fushimi groaned. Yata was going to push this matter no matter what. Fushimi gave in, saying in one breath, “Fine, Misaki. You can come, but only since you know more about this place than I do.”

“Don’t call me by my first name!” The vanguard roared, shaking his fist in the air. However, there was still a smile on his face. He was just happy to spend time with his best friend, though, he wanted to take the mission seriously, as well.

"First, however, call the Silver King. I want one more man for this.


	5. Wel(K)come

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short chapter

Yatogami looked at his PDA.

It was now eight thirty-two at night. He stood underneath a flickering streetlight, waiting for the two Clansman that had called him out here. Why did Fushimi Saruhiko and Yata Misaki want him to meet them anyway? What could be so urgent? When Weismann got a call from Fushimi, he didn’t really say much to him. He simply told the swordsman to meet them where he now stood and to be careful, that Fushimi would explain what he needed from the Silver Clan. His King was as mischievous as ever.

As he let his mind wander, he heard two sets of footsteps. Gripping his katana, he prepared to strike at any sign of aggression.

The figures came into light…

“Would ya hold on a minute, ya damn dog?!” Yata held his arms up, along with his skateboard, over his head, and the swordsman took his grip off his sword moments later.

“What is the meaning of this, calling me out this late?”

Fushimi put a hand on his hip. “Your King gave Scepter 4 his permission to use his Clansman as we saw fit in our missions. So, I’m cashing that offer in,” he quipped.

“This seems highly… illegal.”

“I assure you it’s not. I just received a warrant for what we’re about to do tonight.”

“That quickly? I thought things such as that took time.”

Fushimi shrugged. “Well, it was prioritized. That being said, we’re taking a person-of-interest into custody… I’d even be satisfied with getting intel.”

“This is one sneaky girl,” Yata scratched the back of his head. “So Saruhiko wanted all the help he could get for this one.”

Sighing, the swordsman shook his head. “Very well. I, Yatogami Kuroh, will aid you in this apprehension of…?” Fushimi took out his PDA and brought up a picture of the girl to show to the swordsman. His eyes widened for a moment in surprise. Such a person didn’t appear to be criminal. Still, it wasn’t his place. “I see. How exactly do we go about this, then?”

Fushimi tucked his PDA in his pocket and started moving towards the apartments, prompting the others to follow him. “Tch. I want to know more about this girl before we make an arrest. Thanks to Anna, we know where she lives. Still need a name and background information.”

“I suggest we see if she’s home. Use the warrant to our advantage if the proprietor is present and the girl isn’t.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

~~~~

The proprietor was far too trusting.

That was Yata’s first thought as the old hag gleefully led them to the very top floor of the luxury apartments. It didn’t take much to get to this point. Fushimi changed into more casual clothes to go undercover but held onto his sword and knives, and both he and Yatogami sweet talked the lady into letting them into their suspect’s apartment. At first, Yata thought she wouldn’t believe that they were friends of the young girl and wanted to surprise her with a visit and that they would have to use the warrant. Three guys trying to visit a girl patron this late at night? Wasn’t that a red flag?! Though it felt wrong to worry about the suspect’s safety because, after all, she was still a girl, the thought of someone breaking into her apartment still lingered. He could feel the lump in his throat just thinking about it.

“Well, here we are!” When Yata looked up, the lady had opened the door and was ushering them in. She looked around the dark room and patted a hand on the wall, looking for a light switch. “I suppose my little angel isn’t here yet.”

When she finally found the light, the room lit up into a beautifully decorated room. The girl had good tastes, he had to admit that.

“Would you boys like some tea while you wait? Coffee? I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if her friends made themselves at home.”

“No, ma’am. We rather wait for her.” Yatogami lied.

“Though, I’m curious…” Fushimi grinned slyly as he began to calculate his next words. He was determined to get information from the proprietor. Yata hadn’t seen him this excited in a long time. “How close are you to our friend? It’s been so long…” The sly boy sighed as if he was full of regret, causing the old woman to whimper with sympathy.

“Oh, you poor boys! Well, let me think… I’ve looked after her since she was very young, so I see her as my own grandchild and business partner if you will. Why, she even helped me build this successful business. Her parents disowned her, you see, but she’s a smart girl, so she made do.”

“That’s awful…” Yata whispered. She was like Fushimi in terms of upbringing.

“Is she normally away from home like this?” Yatogami looked around the room as he spoke.

“Recently. It’s been like this for several months now.” The woman sighed but clapped her hands together. “Well, I’d best be off, now, boys. Hopefully she’ll return home soon.” The three bowed to the woman respectfully and watched as she shut the door behind her.

“Alright,” Fushimi groaned as he messed with his black hair. “I was hoping that she’d at least say a name since we couldn’t ask ourselves. We’ll have to find it. Misaki and I will look around. Keep watch for us, Yatogami, like a good black dog.” Yatogami growled but did as he was asked.

Yata nodded and wandered over to a close door while his friend looked around in the living room. The room beyond the door was pitch black as he entered. Reaching his hand out, he used his flame to give himself a little light to find the light switch. He finally found it and he gasped in pure horror…

“H-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-her bedroom?!” Yata stepped back into the doorway and gulped. He wanted to look elsewhere. Anywhere but here. …No! He had to do this. He would look in any drawer, every closet, even her bathroom if he had to. This was to help not only his friend but to make sure Anna remained safe. This girl had access to bar HOMRA. If she was as dangerous as they say, she had to be caught!

Yata walked slowly into her room, taking in all the furniture and potential places to hide things. His first stop was her bed. It was made up neatly, so he determined that he probably shouldn’t mess it up too bad, lest he causes the Clansman to blow their cover. Kneeling, he carefully lifted the sheets to look under the bed, seeing nothing. He then moved over to the pillows and carefully lifted those up, as well, but found nothing. Scratching his head, he then looked through her drawers. He was as careful as he could be as he lifted article after article of clothing.

Maybe she was hiding something there. That’s where he liked to hide his magazines when he was a kid.

His blush grew brighter when he had to look through her underwear and bras. Groaning, he shut the drawer, having found nothing… of worth.

He then searched the bathroom but found nothing out of the ordinary.

As he was preparing to exit the room, he noticed that she had a small desk in the corner. Walking over to it, a journal came into view on top of her laptop. It was tan colored and had a picture of a black fox on it, surrounded by blue and purple flames. A journal and a laptop. They could easily read through the journal, but Fushimi could probably hack her computer and see what she had stored. Grabbing the items, he ran over to Fushimi, who was now back in the living room.

“Saruhiko! Any luck?”

“Tch. No, nothing.” Fushimi grumbled irritably until he noticed the contents in Yata’s hands. “So, her bedroom was worthwhile.”

Yata grimaced. “Y-yeah. I found her journal and laptop.  I figured you’d be able to hack into it.”

“Good work, Misaki. Start looking through the journal, would you.” Fushimi took the laptop and handed it to Yatogami. “Hold this.” Once the laptop was secured, he took out his PDA and held it close to the machine. The PDA and laptop made various noises before a small ding. Fushimi put a hand on his hip and smiled triumphantly.

“Are you in?” Yatogami inquired.

“Of course. Remember who you’re talking to.” Yatogami sighed at the boy’s response but remained silent. “Now then, let’s see what she’s hiding.” He pressed another button of his PDA, and the device began to collect the information.

Yata skimmed through the journal, but there were no entries. “She must have just bought this, but… I found her name, at least.”


	6. Mori A(K)iko

“It’s getting cold...”

A young woman held her hands up to her lips, blowing on the tiny things in a desperate attempt to get them warmed up. Before she knew it, it was Autumn and the warm weather that she appreciated was now gone. Despite her grumbling and complaining, this was her favorite time of year, though, she had never spent this much time out this late at night, almost every night. And even when she was out on that rare chance, she always had that way to keep her warm. Though, she didn’t have that luxury anymore. Maybe this was why the cold was bothering her so much.

Yet, it couldn’t be helped. It was something that she just had to do.

Pulling out her PDA from her pocket, she looked at the time. It was now roughly ten, and she figured it would be best to retire for the night. Ah, but she was hungry. “I really don’t feel like cooking anything when I get back to the apartment.” Groaning, she picked up the pace. Luckily there was a convenience store on the way.

Several minutes later, she found herself in front of the quaint little store. Before entering, she couldn’t help but notice that one of the street lights was out, and vaguely wondered when it had died. The door beeped opened when it sensed her. The clerk at the desk put down the magazine he was reading and greeted her absentmindedly.

He looked bored

The woman made her way to the frozen meals made for one, deciding on chicken and then made her way to the dry food aisle for ramen. Once she got her favorite kind, she started getting out her money as the clerk rung up her items.

“One of those nights, huh.” The woman looked up from her wallet and blushed at the question. Well, it wasn’t even a question. It was obvious what was going on, in fact, it was painfully so.

She scratched her cheek and smiled awkwardly. “Y-yeah. I guess it is.” She then handed him the exact change.

The clerk nodded as he took her money, pressed a few buttons on the register, and put the money inside. “Well, is this your last stop?”

“Yes.

“Good… you should hurry home.”

“Oh?” She tilted her head in confusion as she put away her wallet and grabbed her things in the same motion.

“Yeah, there was a few sketchy lookin’ guys outside almost two hours ago.” He then pointed outside in the direction of where the broken lamppost stood. “Right under that lamppost before you get to this place. Saw them while I was sweeping the front.”

The young woman gasped. “What direction… were they headed? Did you see?”

“Yeah. Looks like they were headed towards those fancy apartments down the street.” The woman narrowed her eyes but quickly smiled at the clerk with gratitude.

“I’ll head home… straight away.”

~~~~

“Write it down in your PDA,” Fushimi ordered, and the skateboarder did as he was commanded.

Finally, they were getting somewhere with this case. He was beginning to think that the woman covered all her tracks to the point where not even Fushimi could do anything to catch her, but Yata’s find was a good sign. However, they would have to wait to look at the information they had collected from the apartment. It was getting late. Surely their person-of-interest would be on their way back here, and the last thing they wanted to be was here. She could very well cause a commotion, or she would become enlightened to the fact that she was being investigated, assuming she wasn’t already aware of that. Both scenarios were plausible and not ideal for the reputation of Scepter 4. If he wanted her caught, he wanted it done in a more… traditional way.

After a few moments, Fushimi’s PDA sounded, telling the boy that he had taken everything that he could from the laptop. He then told Yata to put back the laptop and the journal, for they were going to leave.

As Yatogami was reaching for the door so that they could leave, however, it clicked and began to open.

Dammit.

There she was. The woman from the photo. She was dressed in a tan crop top and a large denim shirt, with black leggings and vans. She carried her PDA in one hand and a bag of food in another.

Yata gritted his teeth. “Mori Akiko.”

Mori’s eyes, kin to daggers, glared at every single person that had entered her home. Upon seeing the shortest one with her belongings, however, she growled in disgust. “Have you people no shame!?”

“Haah? You’re one to talk!” Yata hissed.

Growling, the girl put her PDA in her pocket and threw her groceries to the ground. Fushimi squinted his eyes and looked at his team from the corner of them. Good, they were in a defensive stance, ready for whatever attack this girl would throw at them.

At that moment, Mori dashed towards Yata, swiping her hand at him, and taking her belongings with another. Yata groaned in pain, holding his hand to his shoulder. He was cut... how was he cut?!

“Yata Misaki! Get back!” Yatogami engaged the woman, with his katana sheathed, and attempted to swing it at her side to immobilize her. Everything in his body was screaming that this woman was dangerous, so he approached with as much caution as he could. Mori jumped out of the way before the attack could hit with a summersault, stopping a foot or two away from her assailant. Yatogami stood in front of Yata, who was still groaning in pain

Fushimi clicked his tongue and looked over Yata’s wound. He then shot daggers at the woman. The wound wasn’t deep, but it was clear that she could do much worse if she wanted to. “Yatogami, we need to retreat. Now. We got what we came for.”

“You three aren’t going anywhere!” Mori roared. “Who sent you!? It was them, wasn’t it?!”

“Them?” the Silver Clansman repeated. Was she referring to the police force? Did she know she was being investigated?

“We have no reason to answer you,” Fushimi avowed as he tried his best to stop Yata’s bleeding wound. “You’re a hidden-weapon user, aren’t you.” Mori stayed quiet, simply showing off a small silver blade poking out from her large sleeves.

“Just give up and answer my questions.” Mori pressed her lips together. “I don’t like using these.”

“Heh. Could’ve fooled me,” Yata grumbled. He stood up and pushed Fushimi off. “I’m fine, all right! Tch. Fighting girls isn’t really my thing but, it’s obvious that we can’t go easy on her.”

The Black Dog nodded. “I agree. When I say go, escape through the fire exit.”

“What are you planning to do?” Yata asked. Yatogami reached through his bag across his back and took out two small balls. Yata grinned. Those looked like smoke bombs.

Clenching his teeth, the swordsman threw the smoke bombs down on the carpeted floor as hard as he could. A puff of gray smoke surrounded them, giving them just the right amount of cover to make a seemingly easy escape from Mori. “Now! Go!” The three raced to the window, quickly opened it, and jumped out onto the steel surface on the side of the building. Inside, they could hear Mori coughing.

The Clansman raced down the stairs. Once they reached the bottom, they moved through the dark alleys, the cover of night becoming their trusted ally. How long they ran, they weren’t entirely sure, but with no more energy to go any further, they stopped to catch their breaths. They had to be a great distance away by now.

Yata, still holding his arm, leaned against the cold stone wall. “I can’t believe… she can… use knives like… you can, Saruhiko.”

“It’s not that… rare… of a skill, Misaki,” the Blue Clansman huffed, and he shooed Yata’s comment away with a wave of a hand. “What made you… think to have those, Yatogami?” Now that he would admit it, but he was fairly impressed.

“Shiro… er, Weismann… suggested I bring them,” Yatogami replied in between breaths as he placed his katana to its proper place on his side. “Just… in case something… went wrong.”

“I see.” Fushimi clicked his tongue. “So, her name was what again?”

“You want to talk about that now?!” Yata shook his head while Yatogami dug through his bag and pulled out bandages. Just how prepared was this guy? Yata lifted his arm for the swordsman, and Yatogami carefully fixed the vanguard up as much as he could. “It was Mori Akiko,” he grumbled.

The turncoat then looked at his PDA without saying a word. His eyeballs twitched as he read the information that he had taken from the laptop. “Huh?”

“What is it?” Yatogami walked over to the man, along with Yata. Each picked a shoulder to look over.

“A list of all the people that had gone missing… and that have been found.”

Yatogami furrowed his brow. None of this was in the report Fushimi Saruhiko disclosed to him. How did this woman know all this information… why would she keep a record? “Hmm… looks like all have been found except for three people: Hayashi Koichi, Aso Mamoru, and Chiba Kei...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Four new names (OCs) in one chapter. Ooooohhh.  
> It feels like my chapters are getting shorter. Sorry!


	7. (K)aptain’s Work

“Ah, Mr. Fushimi. Is it not rather late for you to be calling? Is everything all right?”

Fushimi watched as Kusanagi tended to Yata’s wound back at bar HOMRA. Yatogami had gone back to his Silver King some time ago. Presently, the turncoat could hear his Captain, Munakata, bombard his Clansman with questions on the other end of his PDA. Mori Akiko did that to Yata... Fushimi gritted his teeth. She was a strange young woman who had been on her own for quite some time, who had files on three missing men, was able to fight three Clansman off with her weapons and presence alone… a woman who hurt Yata. And Fushimi could not do a thing about it.

“Fushimi Saruhiko.” Munakata’s voice sounded deeper and more aggressive now.

“Captain. Apologies. I called you to report what we’ve found about the person-of-interest.”

“Surely this could have waited until tomorrow.”

“Are you not meeting with the Prime Minister tomorrow, sir? I thought it best to let you know what I’ve uncovered as soon as possible, as I believe lives could be in danger.” Fushimi listened to his King’s response.

“…Go on.”

“Very good, sir. This woman’s name is Mori Akiko—orphan, who had been living on her own since she was a child. She has a close relationship with the woman who owns the apartments in which she resides, though, since our cover was blown, I suspect that she will begin to move.” Fushimi clicked his tongue before continuing. “She has skill as a fighter. A hidden-weapon user. Lastly, she has documentation of three missing men, and documentation on those who have been found, alive and safe.”

“Ah, she seems to have a lot in common with you.” The Captain snickered. “What are the names of these individuals?” Munakata asked. Fushimi could hear the Captain moving around and the crackling of papers.

“Hayashi Koichi, Aso Mamoru, and Chiba Kei.”

“I see. Report back to HQ immediately. You’ve done good work here tonight, I believe you earned yourself a good nights sleep. I will call Weismann in the morning.”

“I’m afraid I cannot follow your orders. Misa—I mean, Yata… was injured. I wish to monitor his condition.”

“Oh? For you to be so considerate… is the injury life-threatening?” Fushimi could sense a sly smile from his Captain just by his words alone. It made the young man cringe.

Wait. The Silver King? Why would he want to speak to the Silver King? Fushimi groaned to himself; don’t even bother in trying to understand that man.

“No, sir.”

“Fufufu… well, I’ll allow it still. We can’t have a civilian dead. Report back in the morning, Mr. Fushimi.”

“Thank you… sir.”

Fushimi let an exasperated sigh escape his lips as he hung up the PDA. Moving about the bar slowly, he stepped to face Yata, who had just been relieved from Kusanagi’s first aid treatment. The chestnut-haired boy stared up at him expectantly. “Sorry for the trouble, Saruhiko.”

Fushimi looked away from his friend as he slouched forward. “Don’t mention it. I’m coming home tonight to make sure you don’t do anything stupid and open the wound again.”

~~~~

 “So… your powers as King have returned, Munakata Reisi?”

Munakata adjusted his glasses. He held the same cool façade as he had always done as the Prime Minister took in the information he had delivered… Scepter 4 had their primary purpose again, the Dresden Slate has activated again, civilians would no doubt be gaining supernatural powers or run amuck with the return of them. Who knows, maybe the Dresden Slate would bestow its unworldly powers to four more people, naming them Kings. Regardless, if there had been a chance of it happening, Scepter 4 certainly wouldn’t be shut down now.

The reborn King smirked. “That is correct.” The Prime Minister sighed as he pulled out an envelope and set it on the desk right side up, then sliding it over to the Blue King slowly. Munakata looked down, taking notice of the Gold Clan’s insignia.

“Well, the Timeless Palace has already paid me a visit, so I understand the situation… more or less.”

Munakata raised a brow. “Oh?” Munakata took the letter and read it quickly while the Minister began to speak.

“This ‘Dresden Slate’ has been reactivated, though the Gold Clan has not disclosed whether or not they have regained their superior talents. Still, they hold great power and status in Japan with their affiliation with Kokujoji Daikaku alone, and they have made certain that your prior… arrangements with the former Minister have been reinstated as procedure and what have you.” The Prime Minster rolled his hand in the air to emphasize the point he was trying to make.

“I see. All my power and influence has returned to me, then. I am grateful, for I will most likely be needing your help.”

The man stood up and placed his hands on his desk. He knew that to the Blue King, he was not so much of a threat, but he had to make his point clear to him. He did not want to have the same relationship as the former Prime Minister had with this man. No, he wanted to be on equal terms with him, to ensure the safety of his people. “I wish to make one thing clear to you, Mr. Munakata. I care about this country, and I wish nothing but the best for it, so…”

“Your love for this country is honorable, but I assure you that personal interest has never been my goal. I, too, wish nothing but the best for this country, however, I will do everything I can to protect it as I have always done. But in order to do my job, I will need you to do yours.” Munakata took off his glasses for a moment to wipe a smudge from the lens before setting them back on his face.

“Well, yes…” The man cleared his throat. It was difficult talking to this young man, difficult indeed. “The Gold Clan has given you the power to issue orders but be sure to not let it go to your head. If I must work with you, I want things to be different to how things were with the man I replaced.” The Prime Minister then lifted an opened a hand to the Blue King, wanting to not only end the meeting but to create some sort of positive, healthy foundation with him.

Grabbing the man’s hand, Munakata smiled. “I can appreciate your honesty, sir, as I wish for the same.”

Nodding politely, the Blue King then bid the Minister farewell and exited the large office. In the corridor, his Lieutenant was waiting patiently for his return. Upon hearing the door shut behind him, Awashima greeted him as he continued his path out of the building.

“Captain. How did it go?” She made wide strides to keep up with her superior.

With a playful scoff, the man replied, “As if you weren’t listening in.” Munakata turned around to look at the flustered woman for a moment and snickered before continuing his way out of the government building. “What do you make of it, Miss Awashima? That man, I mean.”

“Well, the man seems to have his moral compass pointed in the right direction, however, he’s not exactly ecstatic that Japan is still under the influence of the Slate. That much is certain.” she murmured.

“We can’t blame him. Scepter 4 is not in possession of the Slate. I would imagine that that fact is very stressful for the man, especially after what happened over a year ago. The people will no doubt be putting the pressure on him to make sure such a thing does not occur a second time.”

“About that, sir…” Awashima and the King were now outside and stepping into a Scepter 4 vehicle. The driver was already given instruction to drive them back to HQ. “You still have not contacted Adolf K. Weismann to discuss your… suspicions.”

Munakata set his hand on his check resting it against the car door. The scene changed from government buildings to tall city buildings and thousands of people who had no idea about what was happening in Japan once more. What twists of truths would the Japanese government tell their people this time?

“Ah, yes. I imagine the man is in lecture until this afternoon.”

~~~~

Neko groaned into Weismann’s shoulder. “Shiiiiroooo~! Why do we have to see the bad man with glasses?! I want to go back home.”

“Please keep your voice down, Neko. We don’t want to disturb the Blue Clan’s work. I’m sure they’re very busy.” His voice was as soft as ever when speaking to the girl, even when he was slightly scolding her to behave herself. “Plus, he isn’t bad.”

It was understandable as to why she was so fussy. She had just gotten out of class, and he had just finished with lectures. Before they could even relax in their dorm, they got a call from the Blue King, asking them to meet them at HQ immediately. It sounded so urgent the Silver King just couldn’t refuse.

Now they sat inside Munakata’s office, waiting.

Kuroh sat on the other side of the Silver King as Neko showed an increasingly dishonorable display on his other shoulder. His brow twitched with every shriek and whine she let out. “He’s right, you know. You should really behave yourself,” he ordered between gritted teeth.

Neko pouted. “Don’t be cranky! It’s not my fault you were up past your bedtime on some super-secret mission.”

“Now, now, you two. Let’s calm down.” Weismann grinned with a nervous laugh. His face then turned deathly serious and gloomy once the conversation that he and his Clansman had the night before resurfaced in his mind over that mission. “I’m sure that Kuroh’s mission is what the Captain wanted to talk to me about. I’d like to know more details myself…”

“Shiro… I said I am unharmed.” Kuroh slowly gazed at his worrying friend with regrettable eyes. He hadn’t taken the news of what had happened last night well… that girl, so clearly able to kill if she needed to. She had shot that knife at Yata Misaki like it was nothing and took her belongings from him. Perhaps he shouldn’t have mentioned it in such detail after all

“I can see that.”

“So, then would you please calm down?”

“I am calm. I simply have some… concerns.”

Kuroh sighed. He had never seen Weismann this irritated. There was simply no arguing with him. The modern samurai couldn’t tell if the older man was having a temper tantrum or was simply being a concerned adult.

“Tsk, did all of you have to come?” Fushimi mumbled as he closed the door behind him, Munakata, and Awashima. He carried a tablet with him.

Munakata sat down in front of the scowling researcher with an innocent smile, either completely oblivious of the stare-down or just graciously ignoring it, while his Clansman took a space on both sides of their King. Once settled, he greeted his visitors. “Were you all waiting long?”

“No, not very long. But I’d like to get right to the point here if you don’t mind.” Weismann’s voice, though appearing kind and soft as it had always been, had a slight tone of anger and frustration that did not go unnoticed by those within the room.

The Blue King nodded. “Of course. To begin, I’d like to apologize to you. Mr. Fushimi’s mission didn’t go according to plan, as it was only for gathering intelligence, however, they had no choice but to engage. I’d also like to thank you, Mr. Yatogami Kuroh, for keeping him and Yata Misaki alive.”

“Who was that girl…?” Kuroh blurted, as he was not going to allow the Kings to just speak while he simply listened. He was unfortunately in this now, for the woman had seen his face, so he felt as though he deserved to know every single detail that they had gathered… and he knew that they had some information to share.

“From the data you all managed to collect, we have identified her as Mori Akiko, an orphan girl with obvious skills in hidden weapons, programming, and hacking. She also has some connection to the missing person cases that Scepter 4 has been given.”

Fushimi then took over with the explanation. “Three men are still not accounted for,” he said as he began pressing buttons on the tablet in his hands. Several seconds later, three faces popped up. “Hayashi Koichi, Aso Mamoru, and Chiba Kei.”

“Tell me, do any of these people seem familiar to you, professor?” Munakata asked.

The Silver King stared at the photos of the men, shaking his head. “Afraid not. Who are they?”

“It took me all night to uncover their personal information from Mr. Fushimi’s stolen file,” Munakata answered as he adjusted his glasses. “Hayashi Koichi: age 21, bartender and upcoming male model. Aso Mamoru: age 27, coffee shop owner. And Chiba Kei: age 16, student.”

“It seems as though their profiles had been deleted,” Fushimi added. “As if they never existed.”

“Does this woman have anything to do with deleting their profiles?” Kuroh wondered.

“That’s what I would like to test… among other things. That is the reason I had requested to meet with you, Weismann.”

Weismann sighed. He could see where this was going, and he didn’t like it. “You believe the disappearances have something to do with the resurrection of the Slate. Those men… this woman… are connected to our current conundrum: why does the Slate still exist, where is it, and so on.”

“Precisely. I believe we’re on to something here, so please indulge me for a little longer as a member of the Circle Table Alliance.” The man smirked triumphantly. To use that old joke of the Silver King, it never fails to amuse him. “This young woman possesses some information that we here at Scepter 4 would like to have. She needs to be found and detained. I will be asking for the Red King’s help, as well.”

“Just like old times... eh?”

“Heh. I’m afraid a Captain’s work is never done.”


	8. Recolle(K)t

“Damn, damn, damn.”

Mori paced around her bedroom. It was the day after the three strange men had tricked the old woman that ran the apartments, entered Mori’s apartment, and took her most sensitive files from her laptop and journal. The old woman had begged for forgiveness earlier that morning and even offered to call the cops, so they could start searching for the three thieves. Mori couldn’t, however, bring herself to be upset with the older woman, after all, her intentions were pure. No doubt that the aspect of Mori having visitors excited her, so she acted very naïve, but in a strange way… it was endearing.

…all the years that she’d known Mori, she had never once seen her with any friends.

As for the option of calling the cops, Mori felt as though they’d be useless if called. Plus, how would she explain what had been stolen? _Oh, and they took some files of some missing people you guys haven’t been able to find._ That wouldn’t go very well, to say the least. No doubt she’d be taken in for interrogation and questioning and she just didn’t have that kind of time to spare.

Still, something in her gut told her that those three guys weren’t with the cops and they didn’t seem like the typical burglar. Furthermore, if they were one of them, wouldn’t they have tried harder to apprehend her instead of running away like they did? It was obvious that they came to her apartment for a reason. They knew exactly who she was…

Finally sitting down on her bed, she began to think about the night before, those guys. She had to work out ay kind of clue or hint to figure out who they were, who they worked for, why they were here, what they knew about her… and where she had to go to shut them up.

The first one she recalled was the boy with the glasses. His smug attitude infuriated her to no end, refusing to answer her questions even though he invaded her home. He must have been their leader… he wore just a regular jacket that night, but something told her he belonged to something bigger than some street gang or a band of misfits. No, he didn’t belong with them, but he belonged to something, some sort of organization. There were plenty of those in the city. She’d have to do some investigating. Next was the boy with the katana. Now him, she had no clue where to start. It was obvious that he wasn’t too friendly with the other two, after all, when he went to protect the shortest one with the chestnut hair, he ended up calling him by his full name… Yata Misaki

Yata Misaki.

Yata Misaki.

Where had she heard that name before? Clicking her tongue, she laid down completely on her bed. It was no use, she couldn’t remember anything. Sitting in this place after a home invasion wasn’t exactly calming her nerves and helping her think.

“I need to get out. Going to that bar wouldn’t hurt much.”


	9. Recolle(K)t II

The silence was torture.

Hieda watched as both Yatogami and Weismann sat silently across from each other as they ate Yatogami’s delicious meal. Neko, who was sitting across from him, looked as though she was ready to burst from the awkward silence the two had created. From what the high schooler could gather, Yatogami went out last night on some mission for Scepter 4, but it didn’t go as planned. As a result, Weismann was burdened with worry and grief… maybe even a little bit of anger.

But Shiro being… angry? Did the man even have such emotions?

Taking a deep breath, Hieda decided to break the ice. This was no way to act around the table! “So, do you guys want to talk about last night, maybe how you’re feeling?”

“Not particularly…,” Weismann breathed.

“Honestly, I think we should. There’s been something that’s been… bothering me about last night, Shiro.” Yatogami set down his chopsticks.

“Does it have anything to do with you doing that again, going on those dangerous missions with Yata and Fushimi?”

“Well, it might…”

Weismann scowled.

“Don’t be like that. At least hear what he has to say, Shiro.” Hieda pleaded with a smile.

“Y-you’re right. I’m being a bit selfish, aren’t I?” Weismann put down his chopsticks as well and apolitically bowed his head to Yatogami.

Blushing, the modern samurai asked: “You’re upset with me…”

“No!” The professor waved his hands furiously in denial. “I’m more so mad at myself. I feel extremely guilty for allowing you to go do something so dangerous and for not being able to protect you. I mean, I’m finally a King again, and this is what I do with that kingship… send my Clansman to fight some woman who’s good with knives! What if she would have…”

“You don’t need to say it. I knew the risks and I still accepted. But, Shiro, I am honor bound to protect you, as my King. I truly appreciate you worrying for me, but I am okay, and I will continue to be. After all,” Yatogami chuckled, “If I don’t come back, chances are you all would starve without me.”

“I do love his cooking,” Neko pointed out with a purr.

“True,” Hieda laughed.

Weismann smiled. It warmed his heart to hear that from Yatogami. “You’re right. I should have more faith in you. All of you. I’m sorry. Eh, but is that what you wanted to tell me?”

“Ah, no. It was something that woman said last night. It struck a cord with me, but I forgot to mention it this morning to the Captain. Honestly, it slipped my mind after everything.”

Hieda tilted his head in wonderment, his chopsticks resting on his lips. They made up quickly, but he supposed that was just as well.

The professor leaned forward. “What exactly did she say?”

“Obviously she wanted us to identify ourselves, who sent us... what got my attention was when she asked if ‘it was them’ that had sent us. At first, I thought maybe she was referring to the police force, but I don’t think that’s the case anymore. Sure, she was dangerous with those knives, but… I didn’t sense that she was evil. Her reaction to us, too… it was bigger than being angry about what we did… does that make sense?”

“A little, yes. Whoever she was affiliating you three with, they’ve truly made an enemy out of her.”

“So, the question is,” Hieda commented, “who is ‘they’?” Hieda leaned back as he pondered his own question.

Neko pondered the question, as well. Pursing her lips, she asked, “What if the scary lady is on the run from these ‘them’ people?”

Weismann narrowed his eyes at his food as he contemplated his hypothesis. “That’s actually plausible. It would explain why there’s no record of her. She could have made herself non-existent to hide from these people. And when she saw you… she might have thought she’d finally been found.”

“Are you going back to Scepter 4 with this?” Yatogami asked. “If so I should accompany you.”

“No. I’ll send him a message after dinner,” Weismann said as he picked up his chopsticks again. “I’d like to enjoy dinner with my family. And since we’re having dinner we should have a more pleasant conversation.” Weismann sat silently for a minute. “Just promise me you’ll be careful…”

Yatogami smiled. He had to be careful even more so than usual. She knew what he looked like. “Of course.”

~~~~

“Yata, is that cut on your arm from last night?”

“Damn, man! What happened?

“You good, Yata?”

“Did you meet the girl from the photo?

“Was she cute?”

Kamamoto, Bandō Saburōta, Dewa Masaomi, Akagi Shōhei, and Chitose Yō bombarded Yata with questions once they saw that he was in bar HOMRA once more. They had gotten the summary of Yata’s night from the second-in-command but hearing it from the source was what the HOMRA members were after. They were kind of peeved that they couldn’t have gone out with Yata last night, but in retrospect, that big of a group probably wouldn’t have worked out.

“I think her looks are the least important detail of his night,” Fujishima Kōsuke sighed into his drink.

“I agree. Is the cut deep? I feel bad that none of us were here last night to support you.” Eric Sōlt admitted.

“Would ya shut up!” Kusanagi groaned. They hadn’t been in the bar long and already they were driving him nuts.

Yata held up his head with his hands as he leaned on the bar. “I told you guys it’s nothing to worry about. Just a scratch, really.”

“Would you just tell them what happened. Anna’s probably curious, too. Right, Anna?” Anna, who was sitting next to Yata, nodded in agreement to Kusanagi’s words.

“I mean, there’s nothing much to tell. We got into her place, I checked her… bed… bedroom,” Yata stammered, “and found out her name is Mori Akiko. She also had those files on the three guys I told Mr. Kusanagi about last night before Saruhiko and I left for our place.”

“How’d he feel about all this?” Kamamoto inquired.

“Guy wasn’t happy. He grumbled all the way home. But you know… her place was nice but… I don’t know, kind of ordinary. Didn’t really look like a criminal’s hideout, ya know?”

“You can still say that after she attacked you?” Akagi asked wide-eyed.

“Well, we did break into her place and looked through her shit… don’t you think that’s a normal reaction?”

“A normal girl would probably scream and call the police, maybe pick up something random to defend herself. Not throw knives.” Akagi retorted.

Yata grimaced. He couldn’t really say anything. Akagi had a point. He probably shouldn’t be so easy on her either or quick to defend her…

“No matter how you feel about it, Yata, you need to be careful out there. She knows your face now, man.” Bandō explained.

“That’s right…” Yata whispered. She did know his face now. That never even came to mind last night nor this morning. Saruhiko and the Black Dog had to watch their backs, too. He knew that if she were in her shoes, he would be out looking for the guys that broke into his apartment.

Thinking about Saruhiko again, he decided to text him while the rest of HOMRA talked about Yata’s night amongst themselves. _‘Hey Saru, just realized that Mori Akiko saw our faces. :/ So, we should probably be careful. Especially at night.’_

The PDA vibrated immediately with Fushimi’s name popping up on the screen. _‘You’re now just figuring that out. Stupid.’_

‘ _Tch, excuse me for trying to look out for you, damn Monkey!’_

Another vibration with a message. ‘ _I know. Yatogami has also been warned by the Captain.’_

And then a second message right after appeared on Yata’s PDA. _‘How’s your injury, by the way?’_

_‘Heh. Worried about me, are we?’_

_‘Not particularly. It’d be a pain if it got infected, though, after all my hard work. >.>’ _

_‘It won’t. It doesn’t even hurt that much anymore. You know, you’d make a pretty good nurse. Just be a bit cuter.’_ Yata snickered into his PDA. Everything else around him no longer seemed to exist, as he was tuning out all the voices around him.

_‘Fuck off... anyway, I’m stopping by bar HOMRA to come pick you up. We should travel together as much as possible.’_

_‘Getting taxied by Blues now?’_

_‘Just until this all blows over. Captain’s orders. Be there in thirty.’_

_‘Cool. See you then.’_

~~~~

Fushimi sat on the passenger side of the Scepter 4 vehicle reviewing the last text message he received from Yata just seconds ago. Stuffing the PDA in his uniform pocket, he began to focus on the papers in front of the vehicle’s console: an updated profile of Mori Akiko, and profiles that Munakata managed to recover about Hayashi Koichi, Aso Mamoru, and Chiba Kei, the three missing men.

Fushimi couldn’t help but get lost in thought. He just couldn’t piece any of this together. Her or her motives… it annoyed him to no end. She annoyed him to no end.

What was the string that tied these four people together? Was it really a kidnapper and victim type of deal, or what it something else entirely? Ransom? The police force didn’t mention that in her case and according to the records, the men don’t have a family to threaten and demand money from for their safe return.

 It just didn’t make sense to the third-in-command to keep profiles on people that she’d taken… after all, doing that had clearly backfired on her. A very stupid move on her part.

Maybe it was murder? In retrospect, should they even assume that they’re alive? They appear to have been missing for over half a year…

At that moment, Fushimi’s PDA started to vibrate again. It was clearly a call. He huffed, for it was probably Yata again wanting to bother him until Fushimi got there. He was still at least twenty minutes away from bar HOMRA.

Once he took the device out of his pocket and took a peek at the screen, he noticed that it was actually a call from the second-in-command, Lieutenant Awashima. Accepting the call, he held it up to his ear. “Fushimi.”

“How far away are you from HOMRA?” Why did she sound so out of breath and on edge?

“About twenty min— “

“Don’t go. I just received a call from Kusanagi. Your person-of-interest, Mori Akiko, has engaged HOMRA on their turf.”

“Wha—? So, she really does know about HOMRA?”

“That does seem to be the case. She must have put two and two together and went after Yata Misaki.”

Dammit. “So, shouldn’t I go to HOMRA to back them up!? She’s ultimately my responsibility to arrest!”

“It seems as though their battle is in the process of moving to Ashinaka High School. She tried to run but the Red Clan is going after her. Report there instead.” Fushimi could hear an engine on the other end of the line. No, multiple engines. “Scepter 4 has just been dispatched and we are on our way.”

“Roger,” he said and with a click, she was gone. “Driver, change of plans. Take me to Ashinaka High School. And turn on the sirens.” The driver complied. It wouldn’t take too long to reach the school now.

As he watched the cars and trucks move over to other lanes for his Scepter 4 vehicle, he couldn’t help but wonder why the entire force was going to meet him there. Sure, they might have to deal with HOMRA, but surely they were at a place now to negotiate with them to not get in the way. They had to think about Anna now that she was going to school. All Munakata has to do is have the second-in-command call up Kusanagi to make that happen…

Unless… she’s…

“Mr. Fushimi. We’ve arrived.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliff HANGUUUUUHHH


	10. (K)onfrontation

“I need to get out. Going to that bar wouldn’t hurt much.”

Mori had to get out of her apartment. Just being there made her feel uneasy and going to this bar she discovered a few weeks ago was somehow comforting, in a weird way. She wasn’t much a drinker, she preferred a nice, hot cup of tea to liquor, whiskey, or rum. If she had to guess, she thought that it was more so the atmosphere of the place that she enjoyed. From what she had heard, a local pub in England imported the bar to this part of Japan, Shizume City, and someone ended up purchasing it for a lot of money. Now, that same person is the bartender. She especially enjoyed when, on a good night, there wouldn’t be too many loud patrons; she could sit at a table in peace and just write in her journals, which was another enjoyment that she had.

The young woman quickly took a shower. Once out, she began sorting through her own drawers to find anything that wouldn’t draw much attention to herself. Finally, she found her overly large sweatshirt and a pair of comfortable and warm, yet stylish black leggings. For good measure, she decided to throw on a matching beanie and sunglasses, despite it being almost sunset.

“Keys, journal, wallet… knives.” Once she had everything packed, she left her apartment, locked the door, and made her way down to the main hallway.

“My, my. Where are you off to do this time, young lady?” The old woman greeted her with a smile as she swept around the front door of the apartments. The autumn wind didn’t spare her any lack of the crisp, multicolored leaves.

Mori bowed to the woman to pay her respects. “I’m just off to that bar I found to drink a little and write. The name isn’t really coming to me right now.”

“Ah, the joys of being young. Thinking about last night, huh?”

“Yes… doesn’t feel like… home up there right now.”

“I’m so sorry again.” Mori shook her head at the old woman’s apology, raising a hand at the same time to get her to stop. “Well, you’re too kind for your own good.”

“I know.” With that being said, Mori bowed to the old woman and started down the street to the bar.

About twenty minutes later, Mori stood outside the bar, looking up, she took a quick peek at the sign. For some reason, the name of the bar never really stuck to here, despite having seen it multiple times.

That’s right. HOMRA. The name of the bar is HOMRA. Hmm…

Why did that name seem too familiar to her? Shrugging it off, for she only wanted to think about writing, she walked up the three steps to the double doors. When she opened the wooden doors, the bell chimed, making her arrival known to everyone within.

“Hello! Be right with ya!” The bartender with blonde hair was surrounded by about eight men and a small child dressed in all red Lolita attire. They were all chatting it up as if they had nothing better to do. Whatever the topic was, they sure were heated about it.

Well, except for one… in the middle of the crowd of men was a short, younger boy who just sat quietly in the middle. She could hardly see what he looked like, with her shades on and his back to her.

Sitting down at a table on the other end of the bar, Mori took her time reviewing the selections of alcoholic beverages.

“Sorry to keep ya waiting, miss.” The bartender was in front of her table. He smiled brightly at her as he held up his pen and notepad. “Are ya ready to order?

“Ah, no, it’s okay, Mr… umm…”

“Kusanagi, Miss.”

“Sorry, I’m not really good with names.”

“It’s cool. One day maybe you’ll remember, you know, if you come to visit HOMRA enough.”

“Heh. Yeah, maybe. Anyway, I’ll just have some of your pink Moscato again. Where does that name come from anyway, HOMRA?” Mori set the menu down and started digging for her wallet in her bag to give Kusanagi her personalized ID, though, he didn’t have to know that.

“It’s just the name I decided on when I bought this place. It’s actually the same name of the gang I tend to hang out with.” Mori held out her ID and Kusanagi took a peek at the picture and the birthdate.

“Hmm… sounds interesting. I guess that group over there,” Mori asked as she nudged her head at the bar, “are your boys and little girl?”

“Yup, those are my headaches,” Kusanagi laughed and he finished writing down her order. “Well, I’ll be right back with your order, Miss Takahashi Haruhi.”

“Thank you.”

~~~~

Kusanagi went back to his place behind the bar and started preparing his customer’s Moscato, but now he was deep in thought. That woman… hadn’t he seen her before? “Hey, Yata…”

Yata looked up from his PDA quizzically at the older man. “Yeah?”

“What was the name of that girl again?”

“Who…? You mean Mori Akiko?” Everyone around Yata stopped their chatter and started to pay attention to the strange conversation Kusanagi was trying to have with Yata.

“What did she look like?” Kusanagi poured the Moscato into a shiny glass as he rummaged through his own PDA. “Blondish-pink hair, right?”

“Yeah, man. With, uhhh, lilac eyes.” Yata noticed how quickly Kusanagi’s eyes narrowed straight through him. Turning around slightly, Yata looked behind him to see the young woman sitting across the room.

Once Kusanagi finished preparing the drink, he turned to Kamamoto. “Hey, take this to her for me.”

Kamamoto looked at the glass and then back at Kusanagi. The man was acting far too weird for his liking, but he nodded in compliance regardless. Taking the drink, he could feel Kusanagi’s eyes on him and every step he took. Once he got to the table, he set the glass down and smiled the best he could without making it obvious that he felt awkward. The girl was writing in her journal. “Uh, here you go. Enjoy.”

She paused, and the woman smiled up at him warmly as her reply. He could see her eyes under her long eyelashes, albeit he could barely do it with those sunglasses she wore. Kamamoto quickly went back to Kusanagi.

“Why’d you have me to take her her drink?”

“Did you get a good look at the color of her eyes?” Kusanagi clearly ignored the man’s question.

“Well, they actually looked… lilac.” Kamamoto gasped at his own response before Yata burst out into a fit.

“You serious?! That’s her?”

Kusanagi frowned. “If it’s her, she’s using a fake name. She definitely fits the description Fushimi gave us…”

“It’s her,” Anna stated quietly. She had her marble in her hand.

Kusanagi growled. “Shit. Yata, if she discovers you’re here, it could be trouble. I need ya to get a safe distance away from here. Now.”

Without another word, Yata quickly got up and headed for the door. Fushimi had told him several minutes ago that he was on the way. Should he try to call him and let him know that Mori Akiko was in HOMRA again or should he just leave like he was told?

Leave, just leave.

He couldn’t fight her in the bar even if he wanted to.

~~~~

Mori finished the last of her Moscato. Humming, she decided it was time to go before she ordered another and got too drunk. She could already feel a slight buzz from the drink, after all. Once she packed up her journal and pen and took out the exact change for the drink, she stood up. As she did so, she took notice of the younger boy storming passed her…

He had a pretty nice beanie. It looked warm, but his chestnut hair poked out in some… spots… wait. Mori narrowed her eyes as she inspected the boy.

No way. There was no fucking way. Mori’s eyes were as wide at the moon under her sunglasses. That couldn’t have been one of the assholes from last night that entered her apartment and took her files. Without even thinking, she pushed her chair out of the way and rushed towards him, extending a hand to latch onto his shoulder to stop him in his tracks. She just barely got ahold of his shoulder.

“Yata… Misaki!?” She forced the boy to turn around with all her strength, and yes, there he was. She couldn’t forget that face. Across the room, Mori could hear various curses and feet scuffling against the hardwood floors.

HOMRA. He was part of this group. Did that mean they had a whole group of people dedicated to their cause? Even that little girl?

As she thought about how they played a role in their plans, Yata pushed her hand from his shoulder, grabbing her attention once more. “Get off me or else!

“Or else? I’m the one that should be making the threats, kid. What the hell do you mean by breaking into my home… stealing my belongings? That guy with the glasses… do you really work for them!?” Mori felt as though the alcohol was really starting to take over. Before she knew it, she had one of her knives in her hand, and all she could think about was where to cut if he or anyone from this HOMRA tried to attack her.

“Why don’t we all just calm down,” Kusanagi was still at the bar.

 As Mori followed the sound of his voice, she saw him click a button on his PDA. Did he just end a call? Is he calling backup? Maybe he sent a message? Mori knew that she wouldn’t be able to handle eight. There’s no way she’d be able to fight off however many people these guys knew.

She had questions, but she had no choice

She would have to run.

Pushing Yata Misaki out of the way, she made her way through the door. She could hear many footsteps. So, they were chasing her, but from the sound of it they were still closer to bar HOMRA than she was, and she was therefore just barely out of their sight. “Dammit! I have to lose them somehow.”

She kept running until she started to run passed a familiar alleyway. She quickly turned around and dashed through it. She would be able to use an emergency stairwell to get onto the roof and hide, or if she absolutely had to, there would be enough room to fight without much damage to property or innocent bystanders. Once she reached the top of the building, she hid herself the best she could.

“Damn, damn, damn!” Her head was pounding and so many questions were running through her mind. How should she feel? Should she be scared? How deep has their influenced become within the city in the last six months, since she escaped from that awful place she had been held for years?

“If, if only I had my…”

“Your powers?”

Mori looked up slowly. That voice… it couldn’t be. Before her stood the man that she despised the most. “Goto Masa.”

“In the flesh, my pet. You seem to have gotten yourself in quite a bit of trouble.” Goto snickered. “Ah, yes. If only you had your powers... you could just burn them all away. You’d certainly do me a favor.”

“Why are you here…? How were you able to find me!?” Mori wanted to run desperately, however, there was nowhere for her to go. Goto was a freakishly tall man, with frightful strength and abilities and an equally frightful mind and personality. He lived to cause misery and pain, and whilst she was under his care, he made it a point to prove it repeatedly.

“That’s no way to talk to the man that’s come to take you ‘home,’” he explained as he pretended to be offended by her inquiries. “I’m about to save you from those HOMRA and Scepter 4 punks.” He pointed upwards toward his drone above them. “It seems that they’re looking for you down below.

“So, they don’t work for…?”

“Not at all. We don’t work for them, they don’t work for us…well, that’s not entirely true. I might have been using Scepter 4 and HOMRA to find you. Oh, and we should also thank the police force for employing a bunch of morons, but I’ll tell you that little story later. We should get going. I’m sure ‘Creator of Kings’ would love to see his favorite test-subject again.”

Goto grabbed Mori’s wrist and pulled the young girl up, snickering as she attempted to pull away, to break free from his grasp, but to no avail. That’s when he had a despicably horrible idea. “I’ll let you in on a little secret, pet,” Mori froze and looked up at him with absolute terror in her eyes before he continued. “Your powers. They should have returned to you not too long ago. Can’t you feel it, the power of the Dresden Slate?”

“W-what?”

“You heard me. Your powers. ‘Creator of Kings… he has restored the Dresden Slate that idiot first King tried to destroy. Granted, it took him some time, but he has bestowed on you the powers you’ve had since birth.” Goto pointed to his chest. “Go ahead. Try and hit me. Just like you used to, pet.”

“Impossible! You’re lying; my powers vanished over a year ago!”

“You poor thing. You’ve been so preoccupied with unnecessary things such as finding those three, that you haven’t even been able to feel the power within you once more. So clever, too, yet you don’t know about HOMRA, Scepter 4, or the Kings,” The man suddenly let go of Mori and stepped back several steps. He then reached for something under his black coat.

Mori watched intently as he pulled at a small device. With a push of a button, various monitors appeared between them. She took in every scene: Yata Misaki and all those people from the bar were surrounded by red flames, none of them burning. The little girl stood in front of them, staring up proudly at a giant red sword in the sky. She watched as men with swords to their sides, sporting blue uniforms performed the same actions, but with blue as the main color. Lastly, she saw three people, one man dressed in all white and silver crying upon looking up at a silver sword. One of those people was a girl, changing from cat to human several times.

“Who are these people? It’s obvious that you’ve been keeping tabs on them…”

“Oh, you’re going to join their side now that you know that?”

“Not at all.” At that moment, Mori ran towards the towering figure. She could feel like her body was on fire, so maybe it was true. Maybe she did have her powers back but was too stuck in her own world that she couldn’t sense the change within herself.

It turned out that she didn’t know much about the things outside of her own problems. Scepter 4, HOMRA, the ‘first King.’ She had been living under a rock since she had lost her powers, stayed to herself as much as she couldn’t escape detection. The only thing she had been concerned with is finding her friends that weren’t so lucky to escape with her those many years ago.

But none of that mattered right now. Goto should be her top priority. He knew where her companions were, and she had to find out where. If she could just get that location, and if her powers really were back, she might stand a chance against Goto and anything he would throw at her.

Mustering any bit of strength that she could, she tried to reach for that sensation that she once felt when she used her powers.

Now was a better time than any to see if Goto was telling the truth.


	11. En(K)ounters

“Now I really went and done it.”

Yata groaned as he surveyed the surroundings. Mori Akiko was still somewhere on their turf, he could feel it. He had ultimately let the situation escalate to this. He was at fault for being so cowardly in front of Anna, his King. He just had to figure out where as well as buy some time so that Fushimi could arrive and arrest her properly. He also owed her some choice words for calling him a ‘kid,’ so his blood was really pumping this time.

“Yo, Yataaaa!” Kamamoto huffed as he approached the vanguard. “Any luck?”

“Tch, what does it look like to you?” Yata snapped.

The blonde pouted “No need to get nasty, man.”

“Yeah, yeah. Sorry. I’m just frustrated. The hell did she go?” Yata looked around while his friend mumbled about how fast and athletic the girl was. Taking the streets would be out of the question for her. She’d be caught. There was still a significant amount of people out, just about enough to get in the way rather than providing her with any cover or possibility of simply disappearing by blending into the crowd. HOMRA pretty much has the area blocked off, anyway.

So, her only choice would be to wait it out until they gave up, as if they’d do that when their pride was on the line. That left alleyways… maybe even the tops of building. Even with their numbers, it’d take a while to check every building in their turf.

Still, it was worth a shot.

Yata threw his skateboard on the pavement and jumped on it quickly, kicking off all in one motion. Before disappearing out of sight, he waved back to Kamamoto and gave him an obvious order: “Don’t stop looking until she’s found, got it?! I just had an idea!”

~~~~

Mori dashed at the older man as fast as she could. Balling a tiny fist, she focused all her heart and soul into what she was staking everything for. If she really had her powers back, if her ignorance and obsessions really had really been hindering her up until this point, preventing her from doing something productive and life changing with the time she was given, then she would start anew with the power and use it to fight.

Just like the fiery phoenix, she would be reborn, and this rebirth started with defeating the enemy in front of her.

Just hit him.

Focus on the flame, focus on the flame inside and around you.

It does your bidding.

Mori temporarily closed her eyes as soon as she heard the thud of her fist making contact with the man’s stomach. However, when the girl opened her eyes…

She saw nothing, she did no damage to the towering figure.

Flabbergasted, she took several steps back, shaking from head to toe. “B-but, I don’t understand. Why? I thought you said…”

“Did you really think I was going to let you hit me, pet, with that power of yours? At full capacity?!” The man took out another device from his coat, chuckling devilishly as he did so. “Unlike the earlier model, this here device prevents people like you from using those annoying powers.”

“Tch.” So that’s it. She was baited. She bit her lip as she tried to think of an escape route. At that moment, she heard curses from a familiar voice down below. Looking over the building to the sidewalk she saw that Yata Misaki, and he looked pissed.

“Damn, damn where did she go?” Yata looked around as he walked, but then stopped at the sight of the flight of stairs that led to the top of the building that, unbeknownst to the vanguard, Goto and Mori were on. “Guess I better get started on that plan of mine.”

Mori ducked down a little once she saw that the boy was grumbling various curses as he climbed stairs. She shot a glance at Goto. It appeared that he didn’t hear Yata. This wasn’t what she needed, but perhaps she could use it. She just had to be a little… theatrical, in her escape from this place and hide somewhere else until everything around her calmed down. That would give her plenty of time to sort out the status of her powers, plan her next move, and get rid of the buzz she was still feeling. Nodding to herself, she asked Goto as conspicuously as possible: “What do you want with me, MORI AKIKO, and why do you have intel on HOMRA, Scepter 4, and that man dressed in white?”

“Hah?! Stand right where you are!” Mori could hear Yata’s footsteps against the metal stairs getting closer and louder as he went from a hurried walk to a desperate sprint up the stairs.

It was at least obvious to her that HOMRA, Scepter 4, and that trio were not ordinary humans. Kings, the first King, those weird swords… that strange power that each group that followed that King seemed to wield. Therefore, Yata should be able to defend himself long enough to stall Goto and for her to escape. While she had to admit that it was, quite frankly, underhanded, and risky, to force him to clash with such a foe she simply couldn’t find any other way of getting out of this predicament.

Finally, the beanie of Yata Misaki appeared, along with the rest of him. He didn’t hesitate to jump onto the building, however, when he saw someone else there besides Mori, he clicked his tongue in irritation, swinging the metal rod he now sported. His skateboard clacked against the hard concrete of the building as he tried to assess the situation. “And who the hell are you supposed to be, old man? Well, it doesn’t really matter since I got business with that girl over there.” He pointed to Mori quickly and then looked back at the stranger before him. “So, unless you have a death wish, scram.”

Goto snickered. It was obvious that the uninvited guest was Yata Misaki of the Red Clan, their vanguard. “Heh, you’re a real cheeky brat, aren’t you, now that your red claws grew back. Tell you what, kitten, I’ll forget your lapse of fucking respect and let you live a little while longer, but in exchange, I’ll need you to walk back down those stairs… oh, and forget the name Mori Akiko, as well. After today, she won’t be bothering you.”

Yata shot daggers at the man. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say that just sounded like a threat on my life.”

“Possibly.”

“And you called me a fucking cat?”

“Indeed.”

“And it seems like you know a bit about me. It’s safe to assume that you know about the rest of us, Clansman and Kings.”

“You’re smarter than you look.”

Yata then glanced at Mori Akiko, showing an obvious scowl, before looking back at the man. “Lemme… ask, ask you something, Mori Akiko.” There was a slight blush on his cheeks.

Mori didn’t wish to speak to him, but I supposed it wasn’t the right time to make her escape just yet. Just humor him. “Hm?”

“First, I ain’t no kid. I’m older than you by a year or so.”

“That’s not a question.” Mori mulled it over. As silly as it sounded she supposed she was a little rude in calling him out like that, even if they were on opposing sides. “But I’m sorry.”

“Right, anyway, that’s just something I’ve been wanting to get off my chest.” Yata scratched his cheek, still having his eyes on at least the older man. “But, uhh… this guy. Are you in, you know, some kind of trouble with him?” No matter how the vanguard looked at it, the man towering a few feet from Mori was bad news. And frankly, she didn’t give off that deadly badass vibe anymore like she did at the bar or back in her apartment. No, she seemed more sheepish and scared even though it was obvious even to the vanguard that she was trying to put on a brave face. For someone wanted for kidnapping, something wasn’t adding up for her to be this petrified.

“Eh?” Mori was taken aback. Her eyes had to be as wide as the moon, her face probably stupefied. She wasn’t expecting the older boy to ask her something like that. She struggled with forming a response. “W-well, well, I… umm…”

Goto whistled a provocative sound. “How sweet, trying to come to this little damsel’s rescue, boy. You’re going to save her from the big bad Goto and fuck her as your spoils of victory?” He watched as Yata turned a furious bright red. “Ha!”

“That’s it! Time to kick your fucking ass!” Yata hopped on his skateboard and dashed at Goto with the burning magenta flames dancing around him and the metal rod.

With a perfect swing, he aimed at Goto’s head, but the man jumped out of the way. Yata circled back around and kicked off aggressively to get some more momentum on the tiny battlefield. The man was quick, but Yata could be quicker if he used his flames. As Yata was about to swing again, Goto pulled out a small gun and started his assault of bullets. Grunting, he ducked between the man’s legs and started swinging the magenta flamed covered rod in front of him quickly, reflecting each bullet, but once Goto set his sights on him, he started shooting once more

Mori, still wide-eyed, watched as Yata successfully stopped every bullet. He was actually… amazing. When they first met, she thought of him as nothing but a weak thief with how easy it was to land a hit on him, but when the Clansman fought seriously, he was clearly a force to be reckoned with. Those flames gave him an advantage, as well as the speed they provided. He clearly knew his way around a weapon, too.

Mori shook her head to clear it. This was no time to watch the battle nor to be in awe with one of her enemies. She had her chance to escape. She quickly grabbed her belongings and rushed down the stairs. She could hear Goto ordering her to come back, and then Yata telling his opponent to focus. Once she got across the street, she could see how high the magenta flames were. He was signaling his Clansman. Those flames ultimately looked like smoke signals. If that was the case, she had to escape quickly before she was surrounded again. Taking out her PDA, she looked at the map of the city to find somewhere to hide… Ashinaka High School. It could work. That place was huge. She could easily disappear in one of those dorms they have or hide out in the woods. She could kind of blend in, too. The security was probably no match for her, anyway. Mor clicked a few buttons on the PDA, looking for the fastest way to get there on the GPS.

The train station.

~~~~

Kusanagi and Anna were running as fast as they could to where Yata was fighting. While they were looking for Mori Akiko, it was actually Anna that spotted the large mass of magenta flames coming from atop a medium-sized building. They both agreed that it had to be Yata calling for backup the only way he could since he didn’t have one of Anna’s red marbles that Clan used to communicate with. They also hoped that he had found Mori.Though, at the same time, it was alarming having to see such a spectacle of flame. Was she really that strong and skilled, and against one of the Red Clan’s top fighters, no less?

“I’m worried about Yata…” Kusanagi breathed.

Anna stayed silent as they reached the bottom of the stairs, she stopped only for a moment to catch her breath. She looked up, listening to the grunting sounds of combat atop the roof. Gasping, she informed Kusanagi: “Yata. He isn’t fighting that girl!” She started running up the stairs of the building as quickly as she could

Kusanagi followed his King, now with an even greater sense of urgency. “What did you say?! Then who could he possibly be fighting?” Kusanagi’s head was spinning. If Yata wasn’t fighting Mori Akiko, then who? No one in hell would it be one of their own, and Scepter 4 shouldn’t even be there. As for the Silver King and his Clansman, he had informed them about what was going on back at the bar with a quick text and were keeping them updated, but they wouldn’t be in the city either.

So… then who was Yata fighting?

Kusanagi and Anna made it to the top of the building, and the scene before them was horrifying: Yata was on the ground with his skateboard next to him, panting heavily. He was covered in wounds and was holding onto the reopened wound on his shoulder. It appeared to be bigger from the amount of blood on his jacket. In front of him was a man sporting a black coat grinning devilishly in front of their comrade while playing with a gun in his left hand.

“Yata!” Anna screamed without thinking.

The man in black turned to the sound of the scream and scowled once he found the cause. It was clear that he didn’t want any more of an audience. “Ah… if it isn’t the Third and Red King, Kushina Anna and her right-hand man, Kusanagi Izumo,” He chuckled. “Listen, listen. Your boy here has been quite rude to me and— “

“Leave him be,” Anna ordered. She didn’t like the looks of this man, not at all.

“Egh. I see where he gets it from.”

Kusanagi stepped forward. He had to stay cool and collected long enough to rescue Yata from that gun. “We apologize if our friend offended you, stranger, but I’m sure we can just talk this out. No need for further violence.” The man held up his hands to show that they meant no ill-will. “Let’s start by putting that gun away?”

“Heh. I’ll keep the gun out, but I’ll be more than happy to talk about your transgressions.” Kusanagi raised a brow at this, but the man continued with his lecture. “My name is Goto Masa. I worth for specific people that don’t like to go outside too much. You pathetic, unworthy worms aren’t deserving of the title of King, and frankly breathing the same air as you people make them sick.”

“Don’t forget to mention that a sick fuck like you is chasing after Mori, too!” Yata roared from the ground.

Goto grimaced but continued. “True. You guys did well helping me locate my little pet, but now you’re in the way… I should just get rid of you all here,” He mumbled as he pulled out a small device from one of his pockets. He looked at it for a moment and groaned tiredly. “But that pet of mine is getting away. If she gets too far, tracking her again could take weeks.”

“Wait! Who do you work for?! Why do they hate the Kings so much? What is your connection to Mori Akiko?” Anna urged the man to give her answers.

Goto put his gun away and started digging through his pockets once more until he pulled out several small balls. “Their plans for this city, no, this world is far beyond your feeble minds could comprehend. As for the pet, well, she’s going to be part of that plan whether she wants to be or not, along with her little crew.” That was all he would say. Laughing, he threw the balls down to the ground. A flash of light engulfed him, while the others had to shield their eyes from the blinding light.

Once the light had disappeared, the three opened their eyes again. However, Goto was gone.

“Damn, flash grenades,” Yata grumbled. He slowly got up, groaning in pain every step of the way. His balance was a little off, but he felt that he’d live.

“Yata!” Kusanagi and Anna darted to the hurt vanguard.

Anna looked him over, concern etched unto her pale face. “You’re badly hurt. We need to get you back home.” She held onto his good shoulder to help him keep his balance.

“No! We can’t. You heard what that bastard said, right? He’s going after her!”

Kusanagi got out his PDA. “Slow down, Yata. We get it, but you come first… besides, we should call backup. Scepter 4 and Isana Yashiro should— “

Yata shook his head in rebellion. “We can do that on the way. Look, I ain’t that smart but it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that that Goto guy is bad news. If he’s after her, then at least she can’t be all bad. Plus, he talked so much trash about Anna and the other Kings! He needs to be taken down several notches, Mr. Kusanagi, Anna.”

“We don’t even know where she’s headed. He has a tracker and we don’t!” Kusanagi retorted. 

“Mr. Kusanagi is one of the smartest guys I know. You can figure out where a girl being hunted down by this many people would go…”

“We should help,” Anna blurted. “We don’t know exactly what’s going on, but I have a feeling that that man cannot find Mori Akiko before one of us do. We need answers, and she’s as good of a source as any…” 

Kusanagi rubbed the nape of his neck. This was clearly a fight he wouldn’t win if Yata even had Anna on his side. “Fine…” He folded his arms and scowled. If he was in her predicament, where would he go? Honestly, this reminded him of when the Silver King had to hide out on the island when the Red and Blue Clans were after him under the pretense that he was the murderous Seventh, Colorless King… that’s it! The high school would still be a good place to hide. It was large enough. “If I had to take a guess, I’d say the high school.”

“I can verify that in the van,” Anna added.

Kusanagi nodded as he started dialing a very familiar number. “Right. Could you contact the others, Anna? I’ll call Seri first. I’ll think we really will need Scepter 4 and the Silver King for this one.”


	12. (K)addy

“Shiro, Mori Akiko is heading this way.”

Kuroh ended his call with a push of a button. He held his PDA to his chest as he relayed the message from Awashima to his King. Apparently, Mori Akiko had engaged HOMRA momentarily until she tried to escape due to their overwhelming numbers. Thus, a chase ensued. However, something unexpected occurred in which an unknown assailant found Mori first. He attempted to detain her but was stopped by Yata Misaki.

Weismann got up from his spot around the table. “And what of Mori, Kuroh?”

“She escaped while Yata was doing battle with the man. Luckily, Anna and Kusanagi appeared before Yata could be slain by him. Both parties are probably coming here now to search for her. Scepter 4 had also been dispatched and are on their way since the man claimed that he works for someone that despises the current Kings.”

Neko stopped playing with a silver ball of yarn to add her two meows into the conversation. “Even the bad guy with glasses is coming here. So much for a quiet day with my Shiro.”

“Hehe, don’t say that, Neko. This appears to be pretty important, so we should all do our best.” Weismann pointed to himself as he spoke: “As King and his Clansman, I think it would be beneficial if we were to welcome Mori Akiko first.” Weismann gave his Clansman a carefree-like smile as he walked over to the door to pick up his red umbrella. Neko and Kuroh followed him as all three entered the hallway of their dormitory.

“Apparently, the man that we are to be looking out for wears a black coat. Black hair and dark brown eyes… a scar on his cheek, as well. Goes by the name of Goto Masa, Shiro.”

“Am I to assume this information was given to Scepter 4 by the Red Clan? They sure have come a long way! To think that they’d be working together with the Blue Clan.”

Kuroh nodded. Things had taken such a strange and bizarre turn, not to mention complicated. First the Dresden Slate, and now this man and Mori Akiko. “Shiro, what connection do you think this man has with Fushimi Saruhiko’s investigation on Mori Akiko?”

Weismann hummed to himself as he pondered his Clansman’s question. They had just reached the door of the dormitory and were now standing outside. Tapping his umbrella gently on his shoulder a few times, he opened it and let the rays of the little sunshine upon him and the red umbrella. “I can’t be certain,” he mumbled. “We don’t know the entire situation. Which is why I want to take care of this as soon as possible.” The group started walking towards the specialized train station the students and staff would use to reach the island, as they were tipped off by the two other Clans that Mori would be using the train to get to the island.

The trio walked in silence until they reached the outskirts of the station. Neko looked around, bewildered. “Meow~! I wonder if she’ll really show up here…”

“We should split up and search the area,” Weismann instructed. “But if you see her, do not engage.”

Kuroh and Neko nodded, splitting away from their King to begin their search.  
~~~~  
“Hey, you. This is the first time we’ve met, correct?”

Weismann chuckled playfully. Before him sat Mori Akiko. He supposed it was pure luck that it was him that ended up finding her. Once his Clansman split up with him, he had felt a strange sensation and his gut had told him to follow it. Mori had used the train, but in a non-traditional way so it wasn’t too obvious. After all, walking right into the station would have been foolish since there were far too many people looking for her. She then somehow made her way to the nearby woods.

Currently, she was sitting against a tree, clearly out of breath.

“You’re… that man,” She whispered. She slowly got up, using the tree behind her for support.

“My name is Adolf K. Weismann, but please call me Yashiro Isana,” he explained. “I don’t wish to fight; I just want to talk with you, if I may.” Weismann took several small strides to fill the gap between them. Looking her over, she appeared to be somewhat drunk, but that didn’t seem to be her only ailment. She looked pale and weakened, though, by her defensive stance alone it was clear that she still had some sort of will to defy the First King and anyone else that may interfere with her.

He waited for Mori to answer, however, she remained silent. Weismann spoke to her more. “I’m going to be honest with you, here. I’m what we in our circle call a King, the First and Silver King to be exact. My family, my Clansman, are those that pledge allegiance to me, thus they have special abilities based on the Aura of that clan.”

“Is that so. So that’s how Yata Misaki was able to fight with Goto.”

So, she was willing to talk. Weismann grinned. “Yes! If you don’t mind, I’d like to know a few things about you. Ah, I promise you can trust me.”

“I suppose I should listen to a King.”

Weismann laughed awkwardly as he scratched his cheek. “No, no. Don’t humor me because I’m a King, but because you want to. You seem pretty worn out, huh? Would you mind telling me what happened?”

Mori took a deep breath. “You haven’t heard, I’m being hunted by all these different Clans.”

Weismann sighed in understanding. He walked closer and knelt to her level. She stiffened up a little bit, though he wasn’t sure if it was due to his closeness or not being able to truly trust him just quite yet. “Well, to be frank, you’re quite the mystery surrounded by even more mystery. Hmm… I think our little interrogation can wait, though. Can you stand?”

“W-what?”

“Can you stand?” He said more slowly. He still had that playful disposition about him. “I’m going to take you somewhere a lot safer than this.” Weismann held a hand to his temple and began not speaking to Mori, but more to himself. “Kuroh? Neko? Can you hear me? Yes, I’m fine. Please come back to the room. Well, I’ve found her. She’s injured so we need to at least help tend her injuries. Right, thank you.”

Mori looked at the man, puzzled. “What exactly… are you doing?”

“I just contacted my Clansman,” he explained as he helped Mori to her feet. “They’re going to meet us at our home. You can rest there for now. This Goto individual won’t be able to find you there.” The First King then got under Mori and lifted her up onto his back in one graceful move.

She shrieked when she realized what the Silver King was doing. “Hyaaa! What are you doing?! This isn’t necessary! I can walk on— “

“If you weren’t having trouble getting around, you wouldn’t be leaning against a tree,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Mori remained silent throughout the whole trip back to Weismann’s dorm. She hadn’t seen too many students, but then again, she surmised that the First King didn’t want to cause a scene and be noticed and questioned. As he walked, she couldn’t help but let her mind wander. What role did this man play here? How had things turned out like this, getting help from this man? Wasn’t he with HOMRA and Scepter 4? So then why would he help him like this?

By the time she came back down to earth, Weismann had entered a hallway that he had walked so many times before. “Before we reach my room, I’ll have to warn you about one of my Clansman. You’ve met him before in less than decent circumstances. However, I’ll ask that you don’t try anything, otherwise, I’ll have to intervene.”

“The boy with the katana?”

“Why, yes. How’d you know?” Weismann looked up at her as best as he could, curiosity etched on his face. However, she just turned away from him. “Well, you don’t have to tell me right now.” Once they got to the door, it was Neko who opened it for them.

“Shiro! I missed you so much!” Neko moved out of the way to Weismann could walk by. Once inside, she closed the door behind them and locked it. “Is that her?”

“Yes, Neko. This is Mori Akiko. Ah, Mori Akiko— “

“Mori is fine,” she insisted.

With a nod and a small smile, Weismann continued with his introductions. “Mori, this is Neko or Ameno Miyabi. She prefers Neko, though.” Weismann passed by Kuroh before introducing him, opting to have Mori lay down on the bed first. Once she was settled, he introduced Kuroh. “And this is Yatogami Kuroh.”

“We’ve met,” she stated in one venomous breath. It was clear that Kuroh wasn’t forgiven.

The white-haired man cleared his throat. “Ahem. Indeed. Well, together we are known as the Silver Clan, the White Rice Party. Oh, we also have another member named Hieda Tōru, but he’s not an official Clansman. Maybe you’ll get to meet him.”

Kuroh approached Weismann and latched onto his shoulder to get the King’s attention. He lowered his voice down to a whisper. “Shiro, would it be possible if I could speak to her for a moment?”

“Eh? Well, that’s fine, but we should tend to her wounds,” he whispered back. “I think she gave herself a few scrapes and cuts while trying to make it here, due to her weakened state.”

Kuroh turned to Mori. “I’ll tend to her wounds if she will allow me to do so.” He bowed politely while putting his sword down to show her he would not fight her. Mori simply nodded as there was no point in resisting now that she was in enemy territory.

Frankly, she felt foolish in not knowing the school island was a home base to one of her enemies.

Kuroh gathered bandages, cotton balls, and rubbing alcohol from the first-aid kit and began to work on the injuries on her limbs while Neko and Weismann sat down at the table. Kuroh awkwardly looked up to get a sense of what she was thinking or feeling, but she wouldn’t even look him in the eye. She merely stared at the different keepsakes around the room. He smiled at her curiosity, as it reminded him of all the places he and Neko traveled while looking for their King, and how all that they brought back with them reminded the duo of the Silver King. They had put some of their keepsakes away in storage but kept little trinkets and such to keep the space they would take up to a minimum.

“Do you like them?” Kuroh asked.

Mori blushed upon being caught staring. She replied to him, albeit reluctantly, looking at him for the first time. “You, you’ve been to many places.”

“Neko and I have, yes. There is a lot more than this. It all reminded us of our King Shiro, so we brought it with us.”

“I see.” Mori gave Kuroh a small smile.

Kuroh returned her kind gesture with a smile of his own. It pleased him greatly to know that even she could smile kindly. Kuroh’s face softened slightly before becoming stern. He wrapped another bandage carefully around her right hand. It was the last thing that had to be bandaged. “Anyway, I’d like to ask you something before my King gets his time to talk with you.”

“Ask me something?” Mori raised a brow.

“Yes,” Kuroh nodded. He looked over his bandage work once more before putting the supplies back into the first-aid kit. Once the first-aid kit was away and he was satisfied with his work, he sat directly in front of her seiza-style. “I want to put this as simply as I can, Mori Akiko.”

“What do you want to ask?”

“Just… who are you?”

The Silver King watched as Mori frowned at Kuroh’s question.

“You know who I am,” Mori mumbled. What kind of question was that anyway? Weren’t they supposed to know everything about everything about her?

Weismann stifled a chuckle. “It’s funny. Looks like Kuroh and I had the same question, but I have a feeling that’s not exactly what he meant.”

“Then what exactly do you mean?” Mori looked at her bandages for the first time, no longer opting to look at Kuroh or Weismann.

“What I mean is, everyone seems to think they know who you are. The police, Scepter 4, HOMRA, and even us. A kidnapper, a criminal, a murderer, a hacker, a hidden-weapons user, an orphan... the list goes on. But, I’ve had this feeling that none of us have a clue.” Kuroh sighed and then looked at his King for a moment. “We, as the Silver Rice Party and the Silver Clan, would like to actually know who you are.”

Mori looked down at her hands. She remained silent while Weismann watched her with an ever-growing curiosity. For someone that was supposed to be a mysterious and dangerous evil capable of such notorious feats, she really didn’t behave as such. In fact, she reminded him or Yukizome Kukuri or Neko or any other young woman he had ever known. She was just a normal girl, but deep down she was suffering. And she was suffering alone.  
“Mori,” Weismann began. “No harm will come to you, and it will be some time before HOMRA and Scepter 4. Perhaps we could put in a good word for you, but we cannot do that unless you cooperate and answer our questions.” The First King smiled kindly at her, though Kuroh and Neko knew that it was all just pretty words to get what he wanted: information.

Mori suddenly looked up. “So, you’re not with them?”

“Are you referring to Goto Masa and whoever he works for?” Kuroh asked. Mori nodded as her reply. “We do not have any affiliation with that man.”

“All we know about him is that he works for someone that despises the current Silver, Red, and Blue King,” Weismann explained theatrically.

Mori sighed. “He’s a very dangerous man. I had been in his care since I was a child.”

Neko chimed in. “So, he’s like your dad?”

Mori focused her gaze on Neko, remembering that she also so the strange girl on the Goto’s video monitor. “No, I will never see that man as my father. Both my father and mother abandoned me when I was a toddler, therefore, I have no family.”

“No… family?” Neko placed a finger to her lips as she thought about this new information. It saddened her. Neko loved being about Weismann and Kuroh, eating delicious meals with them. Since meeting those two, her world had gotten so much bigger and she had met wonderful people like Anna and the pancake-making Kusanagi.

“Why exactly did your parents abandon you?” Weismann asked, but before Mori could answer Kuroh’s PDA started ringing. Kuroh looked apologetically at his King. “Answer it for me, Kuroh.”

Kuroh did what he was told and heard a cheerful and deep voice on the other end. “Hello, Yatogami Kuroh. It’s Munakata. Is the Silver King with you by chance?”

“Uh, yes. Just a moment.” Kuroh handed the PDA to Weismann as he whispered that it the Scepter 4’s Captain.

Weismann sighed and held the PDA to his ear. “Hello, Blue— “

“I’ll get right to the point, Shiro. You are with the girl, aren’t you.”

“It’s always a pleasure to hear from you,” Weismann pouted. “But yes, she is. We are currently trying to have a conversation with her about everything.”

“That’s a relief.” Weismann raised a brow. He wasn’t expecting that reaction. He thought the Blue King would be furious that he hadn’t been told where Mori Akiko was and with who she was with the moment Weismann found her.   
“R-really? I’m pleasantly surprised.”

“Well, there’s a reason I’m so relieved. Apparently, the Goto Masa individual is on the island, as well. HOMRA and my Clansmen are on the island looking for him for questioning since he threatened the Kings and Clans. If possible, I ask that you meet with us at the extraction point. I’m having Mr. Fushimi meet you there as well as Yata Misaki for support.”

“Do we even have a choice? And what about the students?”

“No, you don’t,” Weismann could tell Munakata was giving him a sly smile due to the preposterousness of the question. “The campus is currently on lockdown. Even so, it seems the man isn’t interested in the students, only Mori Akiko.”

Weismann huffed. “I suppose it’s for the best. However, I have conditions.”

“Oh?”

“I wish to speak to Mori myself, not as the Silver King, but as a concerned professor. No interrogations or threats from the Blue and Red Clans.”

“Pfft,” Munakata chuckled. “Seeing how Mr. Fushimi oversees her case, I’m afraid that decision is completely up to him, Professor German. But I’ll see if I can sway him in your favor.”

The line was dead. Weismann snickered awkwardly as he gave the PDA back to Kuroh.   
“It seems as though we’ve run out of time to talk, Mori. That was the Blue King.”

“Wait a minute, Shiro!” Neko interjected. She jumped over to Mori, sitting down on the bed with her. Without any thought about personal space, the cat-girl wrapped her arms around Mori and playfully nudged her cheek with her own. “I’ve been thinking about this for a long time now!”

Mori’s face turned a bright red with how close this Neko character was. “Thinking about what?! And would you let go! We barely know each other!”

Neko grinned. “Your clothes are all ripped up from being too clumsy! I don’t want you to go see that Blue guy, but Shiro is going to say that we have to, so you should at least change.”

Mori held onto Neko’s arms. At first, she was trying to push her off, but she was still too weak to put up much of a fight. To think that Goto’s device would be so effective, even at this distance. But she could feel her strength returning quickly now that she had been far away. “Change into what exactly?”

“Shiro and Kuroh’s clothes won’t fit, so how about my extra uniform?” Neko purred. “You can change and shower down the hall!”

“I don’t see why not. You haven’t been charged with a crime yet. You’re just a suspect, so there’s no reason to treat you like a criminal,” Weismann agreed. He got up and started looking through the closet for Neko’s uniform. Thank God it was Saturday and that Kuroh already did the laundry later that day.

Neko cheered and pulled Mori up to her feet. “Kuroh will put the bandages back on when we come back, meow~!” Neko grabbed the uniform and towels from Weismann as well as the shower caddy.   
~~~~  
The hot water felt nice against Mori’s skin after what she had been through this evening. When she thought about going to the bar, she had no clue that things would turn out like this. Here she was on the school island taking a shower at one of the school’s dormitories in which the Silver Clan resided. Outside of the shower was a humming girl named Neko, one of his Clansman. She was clingy and hyper and weird and overly friendly and didn’t have a clue about personal space, but she was rather kind despite all of Mori’s complaints. Kuroh didn’t seem as bad either despite his breaking and entering with Yata Misaki and their leader. Weismann was strangely unbelievable. He seemed so carefree and nonchalant, but he cared deeply for his friends and was in turn adored by them. He was also very cunning. She could tell at least that much.

Soon, however, she would ultimately be handed over to Scepter 4, or rather to this Fushimi Saruhiko. Who exactly was Fushimi?

“Are you almost done?” Neko looked down at Mori expectantly.

Mori’s face was flushed. Neko really didn’t have a concept of personal space or privacy. “Y-yes. I am.” Neko stepped back as Mori exited the tub, shaking the excess water from her feet as she stepped out onto the cold tile. She took the towel Neko offered and began to dry herself off slowly. She was nervous and scared, for she didn’t want to go to Scepter 4 and that showed, but was it wise to try and run? Where would she even go?

“It’s going to be okay,” Neko consoled the girl. “The White Rice Party is coming with you.”

“Is that really supposed to make me feel better?”

“Hmm… I don’t know. All I know is that my Shiro won’t let anything happen to you!” Neko grinned.

Neko handed Mori a second towel for her hair. “Thanks,” Mori said softly. She placed the towel on her head and began to dry her hair. “You must really like the Silver King, Neko.”

“Oh, I do! I’m his one and only cat. So long as we can eat delicious meals, I’m good.”

Mori stared at Neko, puzzled. She was holding up the uniform neatly hung by the hanger. It was cute for a school uniform. It was a black, one-sleeved sailor fuku tied at the back with a bow. It had a maroon ribbon that sat over the chest, a maroon skirt that parted at the back with white ruffles underneath. Neko also gave Mori a pair of matching slippers. As she got dressed, she realized she couldn’t put on the underwear and bra she had on before.

She shrugged to herself and continued conversing with Neko. “You’re not a cat?”

Neko grinned. “That’s my power! I can change into a cat and mess with people’s senses! At least, that’s how Kuroh explained it to me.”

“Your power? Is that the power you gained from siding with the Silver King?” Mori asked as she put on the skirt.

Neko shook her head. “No, no, no. We control gravity as Shiro’s family. A Strain is different.”

Strain, huh? Mori slipped on the borrow slippers and grabbed her PDA from Neko. She felt as though her strength had finally returned to her after the bath. She vaguely wondered if she could use the power Goto mentioned. Mori grabbed Neko’s hand and ushered her to the door of the shower. Neko took the lead once they exited the bathroom. First, they headed to the laundry room to drop off the wet and dirty clothes, then they headed back to Shiro and Kuroh who would now meet them outside the dormitory building.

“There you two are. I must say, the school uniform suits you, Mori,” Weismann complimented the girl once she and Neko made it outside. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say that you were one of my students.”

“Shiro works as a professor here,” Kuroh stated. He walked over to Mori and had her sit down on the steps while he redid the bandaging, however, he saw that for some reason, she no longer needed the bandages. Kuroh frowned, puzzled, but decided it was best to let if go for now. “But now is not the time for this. I received the coordinates. We’re to meet Fushimi and Yata in the main hall. They’ll escort us to their temporary base from there.”

Weismann ushered Mori to follow him while Kuroh and Neko followed close behind her. Mori couldn’t help but look around her, trying to see if she could sense Goto around. It was clear that he had made it to the island, but where he was or why he hadn’t made a move against her… she had no clue. She supposed even he couldn’t handle the Kings or all of their Clansman.

After some time, Mori reached the building Kuroh mentioned. From the outside, she could see the terminals the students used to enter and exit the campus. Despite never being to an actual school, she had a less than traditional high school education. With her intellect, it wouldn’t be hard to go to college, but such childhood dreams had to be put on the back burner at a very young age. Shaking away those regrets, she stepped through the doors of the large hallway and saw two familiar faces.

Yata Misaki… and Fushimi Saruhiko?

That bastard was Fushimi? Mori frowned. Let her be interrogated by anyone else from Scepter 4, let her fate be decided by HOMRA after she attacked one of their own, but God, just don’t put her in the same room as Fushimi Saruhiko! His mouth and very demeanor was far too much! He was rude beyond belief! His eyes were like daggers that would pop out and stab you in the back if they could. She could forgive Kuroh and she could forgive Yata. But this guy? There was no way in hell that she could forgive him.

To put it simply, she despised Fushimi Saruhiko the moment she met him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you weren’t sure what Seiza and fuku was:
> 
> *Seiza: Traditional formal Japanese way of sitting.  
> *Sailor fuku: Common style of uniform worm by female students.


	13. (K)itsune

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of Spoilers for those that don’t know about Anna’s backstory! Warned!

Fushimi’s face remained listless as Mori Akiko was brought to him by the Silver Clan. Truth be told, he had expected more of the spitfire. He imagined her kicking, screaming, weapon throwing, handcuffs. He imagined that he would have to use an ample amount of force, too. But from where he was standing she seemed more docile and submissive than a small lamb. This wouldn’t do. While it was unprofessional of him, he was in need of personal vindication. He could at least admit that to himself in the safety of his own still somewhat cold heart and sadistic mind. Her refusal to answer his inquiries, her injuring Yata, and then her abandoning him with some crazy bastard to make her great escape... Oh, those infringements needed to be addressed the moment she was in custody.

Fushimi breathed in, releasing all his frustrations for the time being. Yata was with him, as well, so he couldn't get too worked up. For some strange reason, he wanted to see her. When Fushimi found out how Yata almost managed to get shot by Goto Masa, he already knew what Mori had done. As promised, Fushimi tried to explain it to his friend that the Red Clansman was used as Mori’s scapegoat. However, Yata was uncharacteristically calm about it. He just didn’t seemed to be phased. He still wanted to see her. So, Fushimi, albeit irritably reluctant to do so, at least allowed him this chance.

“Hey, Saruhiko,” Yata mumbled as he rolled his skateboard back and forth with his shoe. “What’s going to happen to her from here?”

Fushimi raised his brow and then gave out a small click of the tongue. “Why so concerned about the person who has caused you nothing but literal pain, Misaki?”

“I don’t care about any of that. If I have to, we can talk about our differences later. But t the end of the day I lived! It’s just, I don’t think she’s—“

“‘That bad’?”

“Y-yeah. I mean, don’t you think that Moto Masa guy makes things a little more complicated? Like, we don’t have the whole picture?”

“She nearly had you killed,” Fushimi stated coldly. He emphasized each word with as much venom as he could so that his friend could see his big picture. No longer wishing to continue the conversation, Fushimi stepped forward so he could talk to the Silver Clan. He heard a small groan from Yata behind him, but ignored it.

“Mr. Fushimi, it’s good to see you again! Are you well?” the immortal King beamed. He then waved a hand to Yata standing nearby.

Fushimi bowed respectfully, but his expression was cold and emotionless. “Are you stalling, Silver King?” he asked bluntly as he adjusted his glasses. He then took out a pair of handcuffs from his blue jacket. “The suspect should be restrained, as well. For everyone’s safety. You recall she’s a hidden weapon user, don’t you?”

Neko shifted behind Mori. “The jerk with glasses is grumpy.”

“I assure you I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Weismann shrugged, “but in regards to my request…?”

“Ah. That,” Fushimi sneered. “Five minutes will be all you have. Yata Misaki will be joining you, as well, however, I, the Red King, the Lieutenant, and Mr. Kusanagi will be accompanying you. So, you’ll have to share your time.” She stared down at Mori, who now had Neko latched onto her arm. Looking back to the Silver King he add, “We’re going to the bridge.”

Weismann watched as Fushimi walked passed the immortal King and ordered Mori to reveal her wrists to him so he could put on the handcuffs. Neko an Kuroh begrudgingly stepped back to the turncoat could do his job and Mori didn’t attempt to fight back. It felt strange. He wasn’t sure if it was because of the Neko’s uniform, or if it was because Weismann had had this feeling that she was simply a lost soul the moment her saw her for the first time, but the very sight of those handcuffs on her now made his stomach churn. It was ironic really; Scepter 4 had positioned themselves on that very bridge while HOMRA had taken control of the school island in search of Yashiro Isana, a young boy thought to be the same Colorless King responsible for pulling the trigger on Totsuka Tatara. Yet, here he was going to that bridge.

That was... such a long time ago.

“Hey, Silver King?” Weismann turned around to face Yata.

“Yata Misaki, yes?”

Yata stepped on his board. He could hear the clicking of the handcuffs being adjusted to fit the size of Mori’s wrists and then a pair of footsteps getting further and further away.

“Shiro, he’s heading to the bridge,” Kuroh informed his King, “so we should get going.”

“Go with him, Black Dog. You, too,” Yata pointed at Neko with a shooing hand. “I need to talk to your King for a second.”

Kuroh and Neko looked at Weismann for his orders. In turn, Weismann gave him a cheerful smile, “Please do as he asks, you two. We’ll catch up.” The two Clansman did what they were told to do, and went to catch up with Fushimi and Mori.

Once the two were out of earshot, Yata asked, “So what do you want to talk to Mori about?”

Weismann snickered. “You sure get straight to the point, don’t you.” He thought about the inquiries he had wanted to ask her in the dorm room once more. “When I found her, she was in pretty bad shape. I wanted to know how she got like that. Was also going to ask her about Goto Masa and these people that hate us Kings.”

Yata nodded. Those sounded like serious questions. Should he even speak to her at this point? Wouldn’t he just get in the way of the Silver King?

“I also want to know what kind of person she is, truly.”

“Huh,” Yata gasped. “What kind of person she is?”

The King stretched his arms out between he and Yata. “Correct. Is she really the kind of person to leave someone to die, for example,” he explained as he lifted up an arm slightly, “or is she just a fearful, desperate person fighting a one-sided battle?” He raised the other arm as he lowered the raised one before folding his arms across his chest. “Is she capable of the crimes we suspect her of? Is she just a normal girl, or is she special in some way?”

“Special how?”

“That, my friend, is what I want to find out,” he smiled. “What questions do you wish to ask?”

Yata sighed as he rubbed the nape of his neck. “I don’t know. Your questions…they seem to have so much more thought put into them so…”

“You should ask, Yata. You may not get the chance to again.”

Yata blinked in awe several times before his eyes grew determined. “Alright, I just have one question for her.”

“Very well,” Weismann began to walk towards the bridge. “We should catch up to the others.”

Though Weismann had his backed turned to him, Yata nodded, pushing forward on his skateboard. He only had one question for Mori, but he would definitely get his answer.  
~~~~  
Yata was instructed to stay in a small tent with Weismann by one of the Blues. The insignia of the clan was printed on the ‘door’ of the tent and inside was an elegant table and three matching chairs. Though they were pretty well hidden, there were cameras and microphones inside this particular tent, as well. No doubt that Blue King and several of the Blues would be listening and watching in of the five minute conversation he and Weismann would be having with Mori. Once they were done, she would be officially handed over to the Blues and the others for interrogation.

Weismann looked calm as cheerful as usual, and Yata couldn’t fathom why. He was freaking out! His heart was beating so hard that he was sure that the microphones could pick it up. He decided to sit dow next to Weismann to try to get his nerves right. All he had to do was ask his question, then listen for the rest of the time.

At that moment, Fushimi, the Lieutenant, Kusanagi, and the Red King entered with Mori. The girl was still in handcuffs. Awashima set Mori down in the chair opposite of Yata and the Silver King before moving over to the door with Kusanagi. Anna and Fushimi stood behind the Red Clansman and the King.

Yata looked back at Fushimi. “Saruhiko.”

Fushimi clicked his tongue. “Not now. Your questioning begins now. Who’s first?”

“If Yata is fine with it, I’d like to go first,” the immortal King claimed with a raise of his hand. Yata nodded with his permission and the King cleared his throat to begin. “So, Mori. Are you well?”

Mori cocked her head, but gave a small smile. “Yes, they have been treating me well despite their distrust of me, this Blue Clan.”

“Very good. Now, obviously I ask that you be honest with all of us, including with Fushimi here. Can you do that for me?” Mori grimaced but nodded slowly. “Good, good. My first question, now, is how exactly did you come to be on this island? Please start from the beginning.”

“It was pure coincidence that I went to HOMRA’s bar. I honestly had no idea about the Clans and Kings and the different territories. After the break-in led by Fushimi Saruhiko, I decided I shouldn’t be at home and went to the bar.”

“To calm your nerves?”

“Yes. Once I saw Yata, things turned bad and I knew I couldn’t fight off everyone,” she explained as she looked at Kusanagi. “I thought you had called back up so I didn’t feel confident that I’d win, so I tried to run away and hide. That’s when…” Mori grew silent and stared at the tabletop. She rubbed a thumb against the cuffs.

“Goto Masa? What’s the story with him?”

“He’s a horrible man that works for equally horrible people. I was orphaned at a young age and started living on my own. Then, I met Aso Mamoru and started hanging out at his coffee shop,” Mori smiled sadly. “Soon, Hayashi Koichi and I met as well at that same place.”

“What about Chiba Kei?”

“I didn’t meet him until years after Moto Masa discovered me. He had Koichi and Mamoru abducted, as well.”

The Blue King’s voice suddenly rang through the intercom within the tent. “It seems at though your five minutes are up. And poor Yata wasn’t able to ask his questions.”

“Blue King,” Weismann began, “I think she should just continue. Our questions and her answers seem to be connecting several dots. Forget about the five minute thing.”

“I’m afraid that’s up to Mr. Fushimi.”

Everyone glanced at Fushimi. He clicked his tongue, but nodded. “Fine. Let the questions fly.”

Weismann smiled and turned his attention back to Mori. “Well, you heard the man. Please continue. This is essentially your testimony now. You’re under investigation for kidnapping, you know.”

Mori’s eyes grew dark and her voice grew strained. “Me? Kidnap my friends?! I’ve been searching for them all this time!”

“Searching?” Yata repeated.

“Goto Masa and those devils. When Goto Masa discovered I had these strange powers, he took me away immediately. However, Koichi and Mamoru tried to get me back. They were simply taken with me.”

Yata leaned forward. “Whoa! You never mentioned any powers.”

“A Strain,” Anna mumbled.

“What’s a Strain?” Mori looked at her hands and then at the small girl dressed in mostly red.

“Someone who does not receive… their powers from a King such as myself, Shiro, and Reisi Munakata. Though there can be seven Kings total, we are the only Kings right now.”

“A Strain…” Mori repeated.

“Could you tell us what powers you have? You’re not exactly documented,” Fushimi demanded.

Mori looked back down at her hands. “Mamoru once compared my abilities to that of the Japanese Kitsune. I haven’t used my powers in such a long time, I’d thought I just outgrown them.”

“If you really are a Strain, then your powers disappeared when the Dresden Slate was seemingly destroyed,” Weismann explained. “Ah, the Slate is what gives us these powers and makes us Kings. But a Kitsune, huh?”

Awashima then chimed in, “According to folklore, a Kitsune’s abilities typically included shapeshifting, illusions, fox-fire, dream manipulation, and possession.”

“I’ve never possessed anyone as a child,” Mori mumbled. “I may not have that ability or at least had no desire to possess anyone. I can tell you that Moto Masa said that I was given my powers back by the people he works for.”

Weismann held his chin as he contemplated this. “It is possible that these people have the Dresden Slate and—“

“They may even be responsible for our Sanctums and Auras returning, as well as the Strains’ abilities,” Munakata finished as he entered the tent. He stood next to Mori, looking down at her with a smug grin. “Things were getting interesting and I was getting rather lonely watching from the sidelines.”

Weismann pouted for being interrupted. “This is the Blue King, Mori. Munakata Reisi.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Munakata said as he put a hand to his heart and bowed. “Please forgive us for the restraints, but it is protocol.”

Yata slammed a hand on the table. “Hey! If you could use some crazy ass powers like that, why’d you leave me with that psycho?!”

“I couldn’t sense my powers for a very long time so I never thought I’d be able to use them against you, however, on that building… Goto bated me into trying to use those powers. I… couldn’t. He had this strange device that drained me of my powers and left me defenseless and weak. I thought you were strong enough to hold him off until I could make my escape, but…”

“You risked the life of one of my friends,” Anna reminded the crowd. Her voice was still soft and calm, but there was a hint on disdain there.

“I have no excuses for that,” Mori bowed her head the best she could. “I don’t deserve your Clan’s forgiveness.”

Kusanagi lit a cigarette. “We can talk about your punishment for that later. I’m not too happy with you either, but I can understand you were put in a pretty hopeless situation. That guy…” Kusanagi remembered how disgusted he was with that Goto Masa person. They way he spoke and the way he carried himself…

“Tell us more about Moto Masa and who is works for,” Fushimi demanded. He had grown tired of all the excessive talking. A few moments more and he was sure that the group would get off track.  
~~~~  
Mori took a deep breath and she fidgeted with the cuffs. “Creator of Kings,” She whispered.

Munakata raised a brow. “Creator of Kings, you say?”

“The Creator of Kings is not only an organization, but a person that leads them. They experiment on the people they deem worthy of becoming their pawn Kings, and try to create their ideal King. Once they take someone, they disappear until the Creator says they are unable to become Kings then they drop them off where they were found without any recollection of what had transpired.”

“It’s safe to assume that these people haven’t had the means to create Kings until recently without the Dresden Slate,” Fushimi surmised. “If they have the Dresden Slate, they might be able to manipulate it to their will.”

“I was a child at the time, so I didn’t really understand what was going on but with the information you’v explained to me, it’s not hard to put two and two together. Unfortunately though, I can’t really remember anything besides the torture. That is one of Goto Masa’s duties.”

Kusanagi breathed out more smoke. “It seems they have the same idea as Mizuchi Kōshi, former Clansman of the Gold Clan.”

“It seems that way,” Munakata agreed. “As for her amnesia… I do believe she’s telling the truth. After all, your comrades are no doubt still being held captive within the organization. If you know where they were hiding, well, you’d probably have already attacked them by now.”

“Then that settles it,” Yata beamed, “She ain’t a kidnapper or a murderer so you Blues don’t have to keep here locked up here anymore!”

“I’m afraid not,” Awashima glared at the young boy. “She’s still an undocumented Strain. She’s under our jurisdiction as Scepter 4. Mori Akiko, can you tell us anything else about these people?”

Mori looked over at Awashima. “They’ve been watching you. Moto Masa showed me a recording of you guys summoning these giant swords…”

“Sword of Damocles,” Weismann explained. “They’re very important to the Kings.”

“Right… Well, that’s all I know.”

“If that’s the case,” Fushimi began as he walked up to her chair, “You’ll be detained until further notice while we get your papers in order. We also have to determine what we need to do with these new information. It’d be in your best interest to comply.”

“Mr. Fushimi,” Munakata adjusted his glasses. “I have a rather unconventional proposal for you in regards to Mori Akiko.”

“Tch. And what would that be, sir?”

“I want you to remain by her side,” Munakata grinned slyly. “Meaning she will be allowed to go home with you, eat with you, and so forth.”

Everyone in the room gasped, obviously surprised with this proposal, however, it was his Lieutenant that was the first to answer. “Captain, is this really necessary?!”

“Indeed. If we can capture Moto Masa alive, that’d be very advantageous for all of us. There’s no doubt in my mind that we have become targets of this organization along with Mori.”

Fushimi clicked his tongue. “He’ll either attack or make contact with us…”

“Exactly. It’s a bit of a stretch, but it’s an intriguing plan, Mr. Fushimi. Do you have any objections?”

“No, sir,” Fushimi lied. He had plenty.

 


	14. De(k)ko

“While you’re in my custody, you won’t leave this apartment unless I or Misaki are with you.”

Mori sat down on Yata and Fushimi’s couch within their smallish apartment as Fushimi listed off the many rules of her confinement and supervision in front of her. What belongings he and his King permitted her to take with her was minimal: clothes and her journal. They confiscated her laptop and her apartment was simply left abandoned. They wouldn’t even let her speak to the old landlord before she left with Scepter 4’s third-in-command. 

Honestly, she felt like she was being treated like a prisoner. Wasn’t she technically supposed to be under Scepter 4’s protection now that they knew the truth about her? Why did this feel more like a punishment?

“You won’t contact anyone from the outside and if there’s even a chance that what you do will get you tracked, don’t do it. And obviously, the use of your powers is strictly prohibited. Just do as your told… and there won’t be any problems.” Saruhiko shifted a bit, trying to come up with any more rules for the Strain, but sighed once he couldn’t come up with anything.

“Damn, Saruhiko. Are you going to give her a curfew, too?” Yata mumbled from his spot behind the couch.

“Tch. Just being cautious.” Fushimi shot Mori a less than pleasant glance. “I don’t trust her, but I have no choice but to follow the Captain’s orders.”

Mori pursed her lips. She had some equally unpleasant things to say about the man and his Captain but opted to hold her tongue for the sake of peace while living with him and Yata. She disliked the idea of having to roommate with two young men she hardly even knew and she knew that they were unequally distressed about the situation. But she knew it was unlikely for these people, the Clansman, to go against their Kings. Yata, unfortunately, simply had to play along with the crazy scheme the Blue King had concocted several days ago.

Still, what really worried her… was the sleeping arrangements. “Where will I be sleeping?” She turned towards Yata who was standing behind the couch. His face turned a shade a red as he cleared his throat against a fist.

“Well, uh… we have a small room that was used for storage when Saru and I moved back in. The Blues already cleared it out and put a bed, a small desk, and a dresser in there. Just in case, though, there’s also a closet and a mirror.”

“However, the lamp in the room is broken, so you’ll need to use candles until we get it fixed.” Fushimi looked at a box by the front door. “The candles are in there.”

Mori sighed but nodded with her compliance with Fushimi’s rules. “Fine.”

Fushimi gritted his teeth. “Fine.”

Yata took turns looking at Mori and his best friend while rubbing the nape of his neck. Would this really work? He no longer felt animosity towards Mori and had forgiven her actions. The past was the past, after all, and now that he knew her story and what was going on behind the scenes, he felt a somewhat obligation to see this through to the end, whatever _this_ was. Though the living together part of this situation embarrassed him, he could get along with her no problem. But could Fushimi and Mori really live together? Could they find it in themselves to let bygones be bygones and forgive each other for the times when they believed one another to be the enemy? He wasn’t so sure.

Maybe there was something he could do? Clapping his hands together, Yata decided to cut some of the tension away with the one thing that can really bring people together: food. “Is anyone hungry?”

“Not particularly,” Fushimi reported.

“You. Are. Hungry. Damn Monkey,” Yata insisted between gritted teeth. Yata then walked around the couch towards the coffee table in front of it. Taking a piece of old newspaper from its surface and a pen from one of the drawers, he began scribbling down a list of everything they’d need for simple curry. Just a couple things since they mostly had everything. Once he was finished he handed the list to Fushimi, who begrudgingly took it from him. “Get everything on this list, will ya? I’ll stay here with her. Yo, Mori. You okay with vegetables?”

Mori nodded as she watched Fushimi sigh. He patted himself down assumingly to make sure he still had his wallet and keys on him. The moment he confirmed that he was ready, he gave Yata a small nod and left, locking the door behind him. Mori then turned her attention back to Yata expectantly.

Yata took a seat on the floor in front of the Strain. He wasn’t sure what his next move should be. Sending Fushimi out was simply a means to give him and Mori the space they needed from each other. “So, what do you normally do in your free time?”

“I would write.”

“That sounds cool. What do you normally write about?”

“Thoughts of the day, how I’m feeling, updates on my search…” Mori looked down at her hands then looked back up at Yata.

“Oh…” He scratched his cheek awkwardly. _Change the subject, Yata. Change the subject!_ “You don’t seem to like Saruhiko very much, huh?”

“He gives me a bad vibe.”

“He’s not as bad as you think!” Yata blurted. “Sure, he can be an asshole and even I have trouble understanding him sometimes, especially before we patched things up, but he’s a good guy.”

“‘Patched things up’?” Mori repeated.

“Yeah,” Yata smiled as he recalled their past. “We met in middle school. At first, he wanted nothing to do with me. Actually, he wanted nothing to do with anyone back then,” Yata snickered, but his expression gradually grew dismal. “He didn’t have the… greatest upbringing.”

Mori’s eyes grew wide upon understanding but went back to her standard expression.

Yata continued. “His mom wasn’t really there, and his dad tormented him nonstop. Eventually, his dad died, but it wasn’t like his mom was going to get responsible for her own son and pick up the ball,” Yata shrugged his shoulders with his disapproval of Mrs. Fushimi as he shook his head.

“So you two started to live together, huh?” Mori surmised.

Yata grinned. “Oh, yeah. We did! We also met Mr. Mikoto and the Red Clan. We joined up with them and kicked major ass together for a while.”

“Mikoto?”

“Ah, he was the Red King before Anna. He passed away… some time ago. When a King overuses his power…” Yata trailed off.

Mori frowned. That was all she needed to know. For powerful beings, Kings seemed to be rather limited in their survival. They felt more like _pawns_ to this Dresden Slate than anything else. Perhaps that was the reason why the Creator of Kings had desired the Slate and the ability to create his own pawn Kings. Would her friends… would they become pawn Kings? Is that why she hadn’t been able to find them? “Yata, why is Fushimi with the Blue Clan then if you joined the Red Clan together?”

“Mr. Mikoto wasn’t meant to be Saruhiko’s King. It’s just the way it was.”

“Is his leaving what caused you two to fight for so long?”

Yata nodded. “Yeah, but we’re all good now. We’ve been able to come to an understanding.” Yata paused for a moment. “I hope you two can do the same… and maybe even become friends.”

Mori folded her arms and looked away. “…Maybe.”

“Well, that’s all I can ask for.” Yata stood up and smiled at Mori kindly while handing her a small T.V. remote. “Anyway, Saru should be on his way back soon, so I’m going to start getting dinner ready. Watch whatever you like.”

Mori nodded. “Right.”

~~~~

“I’m home.”

Fushimi stood at the front door of his apartment. Looking over Mori’s shoulder from a distance, he noticed she was watching T.V. He couldn’t make out what show it was, but guessed Yata was the one who gave her the remote it the first place.

She turned around slowly. “Welcome back…” She mumbled and went back to her show.

“Yo! Saru, I’m in the kitchen!” Yata yelled. Fushimi followed the voice to the small space. Once he entered, Yata beamed with delight as his friend placed the grocery bag on the counter. “Thanks for the hard work. Did you get everything?”

“Except the vegetables,” Fushimi said nonchalantly.

“Dude! There are two other people now who eat vegetables here!” Yata roared as he pointed a ladle at his friend. He then walked over to the bag and looked at its contents.

“Relax. I got them, just make mine separately.” Fushimi gave off a small, mischievous smile upon hearing Yata’s frustrated sigh and then another one of relief when he confirmed Fushimi’s words for himself.

“Yeah, yeah,” Yata groaned as he took out the vegetables he needed. “I already started a separate batch for you.”

“Thanks…” Fushimi leaned against a counter as Yata began his work. “What did you and Mori do while I was gone?”

“Nothing, really. Just talked.”

“About?”

“Ah, you know. How you and I met. Her hobbies,” he explained as he began mixing in the curry powder.

“I see.”

“Well, while I take care of this, you two should get ready to eat, alright?”

Fushimi clicked his tongue but obeyed his roommate. Walking back into the living room, however, he noticed that Mori was no longer watching her show. In fact, the T.V. was off and the remote was back in its proper place on the coffee table. “Where did she go?” He mumbled to himself.

The third-in-command moved unheedingly around the small apartment looking for the Strain. She wouldn’t dare leave the apartment, so knowing her whereabouts wasn’t particularly a concern. If she had, Fushimi wouldn’t hesitate to find her a nice cell within Scepter 4’s headquarters. He was sure that she knew this fact, therefore, it was only a matter of time before she was found _within_ the apartment. He first tried his and Yata’s shared bedroom, believing that maybe she got curious and bored with what she was watching and started to look around the apartment, having not received a standard tour of it. However, she was not there. When he went back to the living room, he noticed the box of candles was missing.

Fushimi looked at his watch. The sun was setting now and it was getting late. _Ah, she must have gone to her room to light a candle and write in that journal of hers before dinner._ Sighing, he yelled to Yata. “I’m going to bathe first.”

“Yeah, yeah! Don’t take too long! Dinner’s almost ready.”

Fushimi pivoted his foot and stepped into his room again. This time, he took out a clean shirt and some comfortable shorts to sleep in. He then made his way to the bathroom. He was happy to finally be bathing. It felt grimy from his day at work and wanted nothing more than to bathe, eat, and then go to sleep. To his dismay, though, he had to pass by Mori’s new room. He abruptly stopped in front of it. Looking down where the bottom of the door met carpet, he didn’t say a ray of light. Was she sleeping? Before dinner was ready? Was this her way of giving a temper tantrum for all the rules he’d given her?

He clicked his tongue. Knocking softly, he spoke to her through the door, but he couldn’t contain the irritation in his voice. “If you go to bed now, don’t expect me to come for you when dinner is ready.” He waited for her to stir within the room or give him attitude for his remark, but he received nothing. Clicking his tongue again, he walked away towards the bath. If she wanted to be like that, so be it.

When he entered the bathroom, he quickly undressed and put his dirty clothes in the laundry basket and set his clean clothes on a small table along with his glasses. He then went over to the miniature cabinet and got out a clean towel to place on the table next to his clothes.

It was nicely spaced for what they paid for. Through another door was the actual bathing area where one could bathe or shower traditionally or sit on the complimentary bath stool. “I think I’ll take a bath today,” he mumbled to himself.

Once Fushimi shut the bathroom door, he locked it to make sure no one entered while he was using it. He then went for the caddy he and Yata had hanging up next to the door, however, when he reached for it, it wasn’t there. He huffed as he considered where it might be.

_Misaki… he must have left it by the tub again._

He turned around to go to the tub to check, but it was at that instant that he truly noticed his surroundings. The room was humid and misty. He could barely make out a thing aside from the figure hiding in the mist in front of him. He squinted his eyes to try to make the figure out. Yata? No. “M-Mori…?”

The figure seemingly turned around quickly from the shock of hearing another’s voice. Then a scream louder than Fushimi had ever heard surrounded him. Well, it was at least comparable to the second-in-command’s girlish shriek. Even so, he held his hands to his ears to muffle out Mori’s shriek.

“Get _out!_ Peeping Tom!” She yelled as she turned her body back around while still looking Fushimi straight into his blue orbs. 

Fushimi tried to speak but couldn’t bring himself to. He just stood there staring at her naked form, the mist slowly clearing to allow him to see every part of her now. Her cheeks were flushed bright red, her long hair wet from the bath stuck to her skin.

But what truly caught his attention was the giant scar etched on her back and the tears rolling down her cheeks upon the realization that he now knew of it...


	15. (K)hats

“Miss Awashima”

Awashima looked her Captain expectantly. “Y-yes, sir?”

“You seem rather distracted,” He pointed out with a small smile. He didn’t look at her directly; rather, he was more so focused on several documents he had pulled up around his desk.

The second-in-command sighed into the tablet she had in her hands. The Blue King was right about her being distracted. The Clansman had been gossiping amongst each other this morning and it had piqued her interest considerably. When she entered the room, the men grew quiet. What made it even more interesting was the fact that Fushimi seemed to be a reoccurring topic of the conversations before they were hushed with her presence. Had something happened with Fushimi? She had to admit he seemed a bit… off these last few days. Did her fellow Clansman know something she did not? Why would they be keeping it from her? Wait… did her Captain know?

“Sir, something seems to have happened amongst the Clansman. It’s rather concerning as it could affect our efficacy.”

“It’s fine for you to admit that you’re simply curious, Miss Awashima.” Again, Munakata gave his lieutenant a small smile, but the curve of his lips made it much more mischievous. He even laughed once Awashima blushed at his honesty.

“Ahem, well… You wouldn’t be wrong to assume that, sir.” She leaned forward a bit and in a whisper, she asked, “Do you know anything… Captain?”

Another mischievous smile. “I might… Though, I’m sure not even I know all the details.” Awashima held her tablet tightly to her chest in anticipation. The Blue King rather liked this side of his lieutenant. “I heard something happened with Mr. Fushimi. Not life-threatening, of course, but whatever it is has made him quite… unpleasant in a very interesting way.”

“In an interesting way?” Awashima repeated. She stood up straight and pressed a knuckle to her lips as she contemplated this tidbit of information. “I wonder why the Clansman are trying to keep whatever happened with him a secret from me…”

“I’m afraid that’s all I know. I wouldn’t be opposed to you finding out more in my stead. I am quite curious.”

Awashima smiled. “Consider it done, sir.”

Moments later, Awashima had her back to the Captain’s office door. How exactly was she going to find out what happened to Mr. Fushimi? Would going straight to the source be effective? Perhaps if she played aloof she’d be able to trick him into spilling the beans for her. Would it be awful of her to use her authority as the second-in-command to get her fellow Clansman to speak up? Would she stoop that low for this…?

Absolutely.

Nodding with her determination, she decided to find Mr. Fushimi first. If she could get him to sing like a canary, using her status against the other men would be unnecessary. And as an added bonus, she would have the upper-hand in this gossiping ring. The very thought of it was fueling her competitive side.   
~~~~  
“What do you think about Mr. Fushimi’s behavior, Mr. Akiyama?”

Benzai Yūjirō, Kamo Ryūhō, Dōmyōji Andy, Enomoto Tatsuya, Fuse Daiki, Gotō Ren, Hidaka Akira all stood around Akiyama’s desk. The man looked up, clearly puzzled with the question he had just received. He was even more puzzled as to why even the more serious members of Scepter 4 had joined this group of gossipers. He expected this from Dōmyōji, but the others…?

“What are you people going on about?” He sighed whilst leaning into his desk chair. It was clear that he wouldn’t be getting any work done until he humored his fellow Clansmen. So much for a quiet afternoon.

“Mr. Fushimi! We already had a little talk about it before, but we want your input!” Dōmyōji explained with a somewhat tense expression. “He’s been incredibly quiet lately, more so than usual. And trying to talk to him just brings you face to face with Death himself!”

“No one seems to know what’s wrong with him,” Benzai added.

“Do you think he and Yata Misaki got into an argument?” Fuse questioned.

“I think,” Dōmyōji began, “That is has something to do with Mori Akiko.” He smiled wide as he laid down his thought process to the group. “I mean, think about it: Mr. Fushimi isn’t exactly a normal youth. The only girls he’s really dealt with are the girl from the Silver Clan, Miss Anna, and Lieutenant. Any other girl has just been in passing.”

Kamo nodded. “I believe I understand where you’re coming from, Mr. Dōmyōji. He might be having trouble living with Mori Akiko and doesn’t know how to respond to her in a positive manner.”

“Hence the grumpiness times ten!” Dōmyōji laughed.

“Actually, I just had a thought,” Hidaka folded his arms and looked at the door to the room for a moment before continuing. “Do you think Mr. Fushimi has ever been with a woman or even seen a naked woman before?”

Akiyama shifted in his chair. “C’mon! I’m sure he has.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure of that. He doesn’t have much interest in the outside world unless he absolutely has to be interested. I doubt women really cross his mind.”

“So then… do you think maybe he’s seen Mori naked yet? It’s been about four days since she’s been staying with him.”

“I know its unprofessional seeings how she’s an undocumented Strain…”

“She was pretty cute, though.”

Akiyama sighed. It seems as though the men had completely changed the topic of conversation and were now whispering amongst each other about women.

“Cuter than the Lieutenant or the Strain from the Silver Clan?”

“All three of them are definitely…”

“What exactly are you guys doing?” Akiyama turned to the source of the voice only to find Awashima barely in the doorway. Then men quickly turned to her, as well, as she made her way inside. “Did you all find something interesting?”

Akiyama spoke for the group. “We-we thought we found something but it was just a false alarm,” He lied. “Everyone back to your posts then.”

“Ah, I see. By the by, have any of you seen Mr. Fushimi?”

“Said something about grabbing lunch with Yata Misaki,” Akiyama answered as he got himself situated into his chair again. “He should be back soon, though.”

The second-in-command clicked her tongue and began exiting the room. “Understood. Thank you.”

Once she was gone, the whole room sighed and in unison said: “That… was close.”  
~~~~  
“Gotta be honest, man, didn’t know you had it in you.”

Yata watched as Fushimi’s eye twitched with irritation and anger. His glasses rested on the table of the restaurant so it was easy to see Fushimi’s eyes. He wouldn’t look at him, though. Instead, the Blue Clansman found something much more interesting outside to look at. Yata couldn’t really blame him; the vanguard had been teasing the poor guy nonstop about he walking in on Mori in the bath. He knew that Fushimi would never intentionally walk in on a girl or try to take a peek, but it was still pretty funny from the outside looking in. Honestly, though, he expected something like that to involve him and not Fushimi.

“I told you, it wasn’t my fault,” Fushimi narrowed his eyes at his reflection as he took a sip of his drink.

“What happened literally came from a shōjo manga. No doubt about it,” Yata snickered into his plate. “There’s no point in staying pissed off at her for long, though. She said she was sorry for not locking the door.”

“‘I lived alone, so locking my door to make sure my male roommates didn’t come in has never crossed my mind,’” Fushimi repeated Mori’s apologetic words in a venomous voice. “My ass! Now I can’t get that image out of my head…” He finally looked away from the window and towards Yata’s general direction.

“Image of her naked? She is pretty hot. No man would be able to unsee that, not even you.” Yata blushed as he thought about it. “Lucky bastard.”

“No! I mean, well, that… too, but…” Fushimi groaned and held his head within his hands. “That scar…”

“Scar? Saru, you never mentioned a scar.”

“I saw a scar on her back. It looked at if someone just…”

“You don’t need to say it. That Goto guy probably did that to her. I think the last thing that she’d want is for any of us to pity her.” Yata took a final bite of his meal and began wiping his hands and mouth with his napkin. “Anyway, she’s mostly stayed in her room since the… incident. You two need to hurry up and make up already or else I’ll kick your both out.”

“Right.” Fushimi sighed. Yata had a valid point. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder, then, what were her tears for? Fushimi then followed suit and took a last bite of his meal and gulped down the last of his drink before wiping his hands and mouth with his napkin.

The waiter had brought their check relatively early so both of them paid for their meals, left the restaurant, and went their respective ways.  
~~~~

The Lieutenant was growing rather impatient for the third-in-command to return. So, she decided to interrogate… Akiyama. ‘False alarm,’ eh? As if! Awashima had been standing by the door when the group of men and been gossiping. This time, however, they included Akiyama into their conversation. Therefore, she would find Akiyama and ask him what the men were talking about; what they were really talking about…

And she would do so by any means necessary.

Finally, Awashima noticed Akiyama walking down the long corridor with a tablet in his hand. He was looking at it intently until he heard the clicking of her approach. He looked at his superior and then smiled. “Ah, Lieutenant. I take it that you haven’t found Mr. Fushimi yet?”

“No, I haven’t. Which is why I’d like to ask you some questions.” She smiled to herself: Good, good. Use that authoritative tone. Make. Him. Break. “Would you like to tell me what you boys were really discussing earlier today? There’s no use in lying, either.”

Akiyama’s eyes grew as wide as the moon for a moment, but then settled down along with a tired sigh. “We were talking about Mr. Fushimi, ma’am. The men seem to believe his recent behavior might have something to do with the Strain the Captain has ordered him to monitor.”

“Oh?”

“The men wondered if perhaps, well… If Fushimi might have seen the Strain in a lack of dress… Ma’am.”

“Hmm…” Awashima pursed her lips. She would have to confirm their suspicions. She just prayed it was just rumors and gossip. “Is that all to your little chat with the others?”

“They might have been discussing… her appearance,” Akiyama adjusted his collar, as if the hall had suddenly grown hot and humid.

Awashima sighed. “Men. You’re dismissed, Mr. Akiyama.”

The man quickly bowed and rushed off down the hall. Awashima watched on for a moment, but then decided to meet Fushimi outside. Surely he would be arriving soon. And she had questions.


	16. (K)andor

Fushimi stared at his Lieutenant. She stood at the gate of the Scepter 4 Headquarters waiting for him to return from his lunch with Yata. Apparently, his Clansmen had been gossiping about him, and now Awashima was intent on finding out what had been going on within Fushimi’s home the past four days and why he was so miserable. Was his anger and trauma really that obvious to his comrades? Had his behavior changed that drastically? The Lieutenant also called her inquiries an ‘update report’ for the Captain, but the third-in-command knew better. The Captain and Awashima just wanted any juicy details they could get, too. The thought of the Captain assigning Fushimi with this babysitting being just another way to mess with the young man lingered through his mind ever since that day and Yata comparing that scene in the bathroom to a shōjo manga kept ringing in his ears.

Everything was so loud. Too loud. He just wanted to get away from all this. Never before had he been so stressed or overwhelmed since joining Scepter 4; not when they were chasing the Colorless King, nor when they were fighting with the Green Clan… and he almost died in that situation. 

“Well? Has anything happened between you and the Strain?”

Fushimi looked away from the Lieutenant. “Nothing in particular,” He lied in a low, monotone voice.

“You’re lying.”

“I’m not! Why isn’t anyone focused on their damn jobs!?” Fushimi spat back before he could stop himself. 

Damn.

Both he and his Lieutenant grew quiet. Her face was utter disbelief, while his… He could only imagine what he looked like to her. Fushimi could feel the anger and frustration he had been holding in for days burst like a geyser, and then slowly go back into a stable state. Living with Mori and what he’d seen, what Yata had said, and the craziness of getting his powers back. Everything was truly too much. And now, the last thing he wanted was to get into it with the Lieutenant… What punishment would his outburst against a superior officer warrant? Suspension? An annoying lecture from the Captain? A cut in his pay? Perhaps he could save his ass with a smooth apology…?

“I’m— “

“Don’t.” Awashima’s face shifted and she have the young man a small smile as she held up her hand to prevent another utterance. “I take it you’re under a lot of pressure with everything that had happened… and in such a short time.”

Fushimi looked away again. “Y-yeah.” 

“I’m concerned, believe it or not. And yes, perhaps a little nosey, too,” She shrugged. “Yet, the concern is above the office gossip. If something is troubling you…”

Fushimi clicked his tongue in defeat. “I might have seen her in the bath…”

Awashima’s eyes grew wide. “Oh…”

“I don’t know what to do. We haven’t spoken since the accident— and it was an accident. I can’t get the image… of that scar I saw on her back out of my head.”

“Scar, Mr. Fushimi?” Awashima folded her arms and prepared herself to eat up every word she was about to hear. It was no longer about the the office gossip, but rather about the well-being of their Strain.

“It was atrocious… the burdens, pain, and sadness she shoulders. I could see it all etched onto her skin. I can only imagine what other scars the mist hid from me. It… it…” What was this? This sudden moment of pure emotion that was flowing out of him? He could feel them; tears streaming down his cheek as the image of her scar resurfaced. He imagined the screams and the tears she shed when she was given that scar. Goto Masa… was he really that vile of a human being? There was now no doubt in his mind that these people that he works for… they are the devil. No, in a sense… Goto and that organization was her Fushimi Niki.

“Fushimi? Are you alright?” Awashima grasped the young man’s shoulders and then took him in for an embrace to ease him. He was shaking and the muffled cries broke her heart in two. Never before had she seen this side of Fushimi. It was perplexing and strange, yet it made him seem a little more… relatable. For someone that she had only known to be void of most positive emotions and expressions, for someone that rarely shared anything about himself— this was something she never even dreamed of witnessing. 

After a few moments, Fushimi gently pushed the second-in-command away. Taking off his glasses, he wiped away the remnants of his tears. “Don’t tell anyone about this… Please,” He whispered. 

“I won’t.” She paused for a moment, waiting for Fushimi to speak again, but he didn’t. “We should head back.” 

Fushimi watched as the second-in-command pivoted her foot and started towards Scepter 4’s main building. “Goto… and that organization. They’ve tormented her for so long. Even now they do… I’m surprised— “

“That she didn’t end up like you?” Awashima interrupted. She turned her head to look at the young man. He stood there with a small scowl on his face but nodded. “No, she didn’t. If you ask me, she ended up far worse than you.”

“Why do you say that?”

Awashima turned back around to walked towards the buildings ahead. As she began to speak, she hears Fushimi following behind her. “You’ve had Yata Misaki. Then, with time, you managed to find comrades and a place for yourself, a place you truly belong, amongst us. She, however, from my understanding… has been all alone and has had no such luxuries.”

“I see.”

“Yes. She must be very lonely, Mr. Fushimi.”  
Fushimi narrowed his eyes towards the ground. Lonely, huh.  
~~~~  
No one was home, so Mori had the apartment all to herself. 

These days she only stepped out of her room to eat, use the bathroom, and maybe even watch T.V. when the boys weren’t around. Ever since Fushimi saw her, things had felt extremely heavy for the Strain. Just being in the same building as him was suffocating. The look on his face that day wasn’t anything she expected… The look of utter horror when he saw her. Honestly, she thought he’d just shut the door with a click of his tongue and that would be the end of it. She would simply face her embarrassment alone while he walked about like he hadn’t seen a thing. She touched the location of her scar with her finger. He had seen it all and it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out where the scar came from. Well, it’s not like he was talking to her for her to find out what he had deduced anyway, so she just assumed he was intelligent enough to put two and two together. 

Still, could things really go on this way? Being on house arrest like this put a real dent in her plans to find her three missing friends. What were they doing right now? Were they even still alive?

She flipped through the T.V. channels: cooking show, comedy, reality show, reality show, comedy, news… Nothing interested her. She wanted nothing more than to get out of the apartment…

“Koichi, Mamoru, and little Kei… I miss them so much.” Mori mumbled. The laziness must have been getting to her, for her eyes felt incredibly heavy. The sound of the T.V. was lulling her to sleep…

“Don’t fall asleep, Akiko! Hey! Aki!”

That voice… It sounds so familiar… Where have I heard it… Before?

“Have you seriously forgotten about me? I thought I was your little Kei!”

“Kei…?”

“Yeah, it’s me. So just open your eyes and look at the T.V., will ya?”

Mori did as the voice instructed and pulled herself away from sleep. It had to be close to dusk by now and it appeared that Yata nor Fushimi had arrived home yet. 

Mori finally looked at the screen and couldn’t believe what she was seeing. There on the screen was Chiba Kei, alive and seemingly well. He had grown so much from toddler to teenager. His emerald green eyes were wild and bright, his hair a mess like it always was when he was a kid. He was grinning from ear to ear, too… But that wasn’t the strangest part. Green electricity surrounded his frame. Was he… Doing that himself? Mori bolted down to the floor and kneeled as close to the T.V. as she could. “How is this possible? Kei, where are you?! Where’s Koichi and Mamoru? Are they with you? What is that around you!?”

Chiba held up his hands to urge Mori to slow down her questions. “Koi and Mamo are fine. We all are, Aki.”

“Tell me where you are! I’ll come for you guys. I know this might sound strange but I have Kings… They’re my allies… sort of. Look, it’s hard to explain the exact relationship, but if you tell me where you three are, they might be able to— “

“I can’t.” Chiba frowned with disapproval. 

Mori clenched her teeth. “And why not!?”

“I can’t really say, alright. It’s too dangerous for you to come here. They don’t even know I’m talking to you.”

“They? You mean the organization?! Just tell me where you are Kei! With my powers, I’ll just burn them all away!” Mori growled.

“No! They can’t find you! Listen, I’m the Green King now; that’s what this aura is. All of us know about the history of the Dresden Slate and the Kings, and the showdown that took place years ago. The organization has their three pawn Kings, Aki. They’ll be coming for you all soon. I just wanted to warn you…”

Mori began to sob. What kind of sick joke was this. “I don’t care what happens to me! I must atone. I have to…”

“You don’t, though.” Chiba looked around him and sighed. “Koi is gold… Mamo is grey. That’s the candor. There’s no doubt that something will go down soon… amongst us Kings. By that time, we need you out of the country.”

“Why?!” Mori yelled. She couldn’t understand. If they were Kings, why couldn’t they just take out the organization from the inside?

Chiba ruffled his hair with impatience. “They’re missing the Colorless King. They still think you’re the best bet for that spot…” Chiba jolted once he heard a door close. He looked to his left, towards two sets of whispers, and then sighed in relief. 

Mori listened intently, trying to figure out if their voices were familiar. They were. “Koi? Mamo? Is that you?”

Aso Mamoru appeared before her first. His grey hair had grown longer, his eyes of the same color sharper, yet they expressed nothing but happiness and relief to see Mori. He then stepped away from the screen for a moment, talked more to who she assumed to be Hayashi Koichi, and then came back with the golden eyed man.

Aso latched an arm around Hayashi’s shoulders and the new Gold King expressed his detest to the act. “Mamo! Enough, you’ll mess up my hair.” So concerned with his looks, Hayashi lightly pushed the older man off and readjusted his long, light brown hair by gently sliding his fingers between various clumps of hair. “First time we see Aki in years and you try to make me look absolutely atrocious.” He turned to the screen and smiled sadly. “Hey, my little autumn season.”

“Koichi, Mamoru…,” Mori gasped. 

Aso grimaced. “Listen, Akiko. We don’t have that much time left. You must do what Kei says and flee the country before you’re found.”

“I can’t,” Mori stifled a sniffle. “I’m under protective custody of Scepter 4. If I leave… I’ll be thrown in prison.”

“You must leave the country. I know you have the means to.” Aso maintained his stance on the matter, so much so that Mori knew arguing would do her no good. He smiled mournfully as she nodded to his order.

“F-fine. I’ll… leave.”

“Good,” Aso looked at his companions before continuing. “And one more thing… Live, Akiko.”

The monitor went blank and then changed back into the regular scheduled program as if nothing had happened. Mori pressed the button to turn it off. She watched herself in the black reflection, completely lost. Tears streamed down her cheeks, her eyes puffy as clouds, as she continued to stifle her desperate wails and screams that begged to be released. How had she grown to be this pathetic? To be this weak? What happened to her oath to find her friends, to help them for once?! Stay in the apartment, leave the country… Why were the men all around her treating her like a damsel in distress when they were the ones in danger?! 

Once she learned that she had her powers back. She thought she could do something more than what she had. Be something more than what she had been. Save lives, rather than being the one that had to be saved.

Yet… there they were, saving her ass once again.  
~~~~

“Shiro, is something troubling you?” 

Weismann stood still as a statue in front of the building of the class he taught. Yatogami stood next to him, clearly distraught with how his friend was behaving so suddenly. Weismann shook his head and held a hand to his temple. “I’m fine. I just felt like I sensed another King.”

“Are you sensing the Blue or Red King, then?”

“No. The aura was much similar to green.”

The Black Dog furrowed his brow. “Impossible! There isn’t a Green King at the moment.”  
“Unless they were successful. That organization. They might have manipulated the Slate to create their Pawn King.” Weismann burrowed through his pockets for his PDA. Once found, he sent a quick text to the Captain of Scepter 4 and Fushimi explaining the sensation he had just felt and asking for the status of Akiko Mori. 

The Captain replied first. ‘Green? Are you certain?’

Fushimi moments later: ‘ No alarms that I installed prior to the arrangements have sounded. Heading over there now.’

Weismann was slow to reply. Making a call, he was fairly familiar with, but texting was something new. He was still trying to get used to the PDA that the Yatogami had convinced him to get some time ago. Even as Yashiro Isana, he never had a PDA— he would just sneak through the campus through doors and just general cunning. ‘I’m sure I felt it, a green aura. And thank you, Fushimi. Please keep me posted.’

Another text from the Captain sprung up on the PDA. This one, however, was not part of the group messages that he had been using. ‘So, do you believe this organization that Akiko Mori spoke of was successful in their endeavors?’

‘Yes. If they have successfully created their Green Pawn King, it’s possible that they have created Gold, Colorless, and Grey.’

‘Then their next move would be to either recruit the Blue, Red and Silver Kings… or annihilation.’

Weismann sighed. Yes, if creating Kings was their goal and if the current Kings would not comply, then the next course of action would be to create vacant seats for the Slate. After all, the Dresden Slate wouldn’t be able to create more than one King of the same color. That was evident in his research years ago, back in Germany. Furthermore, challenging the current Kings would have been impossible without Kings of their own. Sure, they were capable of defeating Strains and Clansman, the organization now had the means to challenge them, especially with the colors they now possess. If their powers were similar to the former Kings they would certainly put up one hell of a fight.

Weismann replied to Munakata. ‘What should we do?’

‘Secure Akiko Mori. I’ll have Fushimi interrogate her again. Maybe he can get some new information out of her about the organization, their game plan. We need anything to give us the advantage.’

‘I guess as we are now, we’re essentially just waiting for them to make the first move…’

‘Don’t fret, Weismann. We’ve come out of fairly dire situations mostly unscathed. I do not doubt that we won’t be able to do it a third time.’ Munakata’s reply wasn’t expected in the least. Weismann chuckled. Having the icy Blue King console him like this was rather amusing, but kind either way.

After texting the Blue King a sincere message of gratitude, Weismann stuck his PDA back into his pocket as he turned to the Black Dog, who was patiently waiting for his King. “We need to be on high alert from now on, Kuroh.”

Yatogami nodded. “So it has begun.”

“Shiro! Kuroh!” Both men turned around to see who was calling. Running towards them, they saw Hieda. He stopped abruptly in front of them and placed his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

“Hieda? Is everything alright?” Weismann looked around as he spoke. There was no one around, but that was partially the problem. “Where’s Neko?”

“I thought she had the last class of the day with you,” Kuroh added. 

“She does… We do… We were walking back to the room when she… She…” Hieda spoke between breaths. His breathing was growing more and more erratic. 

“Calm down and tell us what happened,” Kuroh ordered. He placed a hand on the student’s shoulder to console him.

“She just told me to start running all of the sudden! And then she took off towards the shrine in the forests.”

Yatogami looked at Weismann, concerned. “You don’t think…? Already?”

“Already?! What do you—“ Hieda blurted. Before he could finish his inquiry, he was stopped by the loud sound of a meowing cat in the distance. Looking up and towards the interrupting sound, he noticed a enormous cat that outgrew the trees of the island. 

“That’s one of Neko’s attacks!” Weismann said as he started running towards the illusion. As told by Hieda, she was around the shrine after all. “We have to help! It could be the organization!”

“Right,” Yatogami agreed. Getting to his feet he started to follow his King, but stopped. “Head back to the room, Hieda. And thank you.”

“N-no!” Hieda rushed towards Kuroh and stopped in front of the taller man. “Please, let me come with you! I’m worried about Neko!”

Yatogami shook his head. “No, you’d just be in the—“

“Let him come, Kuroh.” Weismann smiled brightly as he joined the pair. “It’s good that he cares so much about his fellow Clansmen.”

“I’m not really a Clansman, though, Shiro,” Hieda grumbled. 

“Not technically, but…” Weismann extended his hand to Hieda. A silver light engulfed the hand, a light that everyone knew too well. “If you take my hand, you could be.”

Hieda gasped with his shock and disbelief. Was Weismann really asking him to become a Clansman now? Right before a potential battle? “I…don’t…”

“Take it if you wish, but we must hurry,” Weismann ordered. 

The young boy’s eyes glowed in determination. He took Weismann’s hand and firmly grasped it with all his strength and he could feel the silver light radiate within him, bestowing the Silver King’s power unto him as his new Clansman. Hieda knew he couldn’t cower for long, not when his friends would potentially become targets for that organization everyone had been talking about. He had to play his part, and fight for everyone’s sake no matter how scared he was. Now he could do that. “Yeah, you’re right.”

Weismann smiled and turned around once he let go of his new Clansman’s hand. “Let’s go help Neko.”

“Yes!” Yatogami and Hieda nodded in unison.


	17. (K)ontingency

Mori was breaking _all_ of Fushimi’s rules by leaving the country.

Luckily for her, Yata had persuaded his stubborn friend to keep all of her belongings (that she couldn’t use) locked up in their room. All she had to do was retrieve her things: her phone, laptop, and her fake IDs— including a nice little passport for such occasions.

 Having full control of her powers again was wonderfully handy, as well. That Lieutenant was pretty accurate with her description of Mori’s powers. For some reason, since she was born, her hair was this blonde color and her eyes were purple as compared to the black hair and brown eyes her one-hundred percent Japanese parents had. But she had most of the powers the woman had described: shapeshifting, illusions, fox-fire, dream manipulation along with the smell, hearing, and the sight of a fox. Though, the most that she could transform into was a small kit, or baby fox in laymen’s terms, or give herself fox ears and a tail for kicks and become a real-life kitsunemimi like one sees in anime and manga. As for the illusions, she could make up just about anything that could trick someone’s perceptions. When it came to the manipulation of dreams, she mostly used it for her friends to help them sleep after a long day of torture and misery. She hadn’t tried to manipulate her own dreams, though, now that she knew that she had her powers again she wanted to try it.

It was her fox-fire, however, that was extremely useful to her. The fox-fire was versatile and could become ‘solid’ and hold things for her or even track down things she was looking for to some extent (whatever she was looking for had to be in pretty close proximity which is why she could never just locate he friends and go get them). Additionally, she could create different animate objects and, more importantly, inanimate objects and use them for the real thing’s intended purpose. For example, she could make a key to a door or she could use the fire as an extension of herself to unlock a door from the inside.

And that was exactly what she had planned to do to with Fushimi’s room. She walked down the short hallway towards the room, stuffing all of her clothes—except for a hoodie— into the bag she was allowed to keep. Once she finally reached the door, she tried to open it for good measure, but of course, it didn’t work. Smirking, she lifted a hand and the blue flame followed her movements, twisting and turning around her hand. Bending over, she pressed the same hand to the door, the blue flame then slithering down under it and slid back up the other side of the door. Mori stood back up and waited. _Click_.

Mori rushed into the now unlocked door and closed it slowly as she took in the sight of the room while her flames disappeared. The bedroom wasn’t grand in the slightest and it was _clearly_ a room for a couple of twenty-year-old men, but it was the first and last time she would probably gain access to it. Taking a deep breath, she sent her flames to look for her things. She didn’t know how the hell she was able to track things down with _fire_ but she didn’t complain about what she _could_ do with it. While she waited for results, she began to look around herself. The room was pretty bland. Bunk-beds, dresser, closet, and a small table and desk. On top of the desk were various papers. Curious, she looked over the papers. Her profile and other information she had given about the organization were typed neatly on different sheets of paper. _Ah, this much be Fushimi’s ‘work at home’ desk_.

Putting the papers back without much care for how they originally were, she noticed her flames were back with a box of her things. She rummaged through them and was surprised to see how well they had been taken care of and neatly packaged in the box. She quickly took her belongings and stuffed them carefully in the bag. She probably didn’t have that much time anymore. The boys could home any minute.

Mori quickly left the room, locking the door back behind her. She sprinted to the front door and slowly opened it. She peeped her head out slowly, looked down both directions of the hallway and once she determined the close was clear, she walked out, also taking care to lock the door behind her. The Strain made her grand escape as quickly as she could, only slowing down to make sure she wouldn’t bump into anyone when she turned a corner. Once she was out of the building (she opted to use the back door of the apartment building) she found herself in a small alley. She took out her PDA and slightly wondered if it was even on. She pressed the power button but was met with a dark screen and her reflection. _Of course, it’s not on_. She held the power button again to turn it on as she impatiently tapped her foot. She had to find the closest airport and then hack her way to a seat on the flight.

Taking the hoodie she had stuffed under her armpit, she hurriedly put it on and covered herself the best she could. Once she did that, the phone was turned on once again. She found the closest airport, hacked into their system and managed to find an available seat on a plane that was leaving for Europe tonight. She quickly added herself to the list. She could use illusions or something to board the flight and use a flame to copy a ticket.

She bit her lip. Ever since she was instructed to leave the country, she hadn’t really allowed herself to think. Obviously, she didn’t want to go to Europe and abandon her friends, but what else could she really do for them? They were Kings now and they still couldn’t stand up to the Creator of Kings. If she were truly honest with herself, what could she do, as just one Strain? This sucked! She groaned. When had she become this way? When did her fire burn out?

Well, probably when she realized that she was shit out of luck when she saw Goto Masa again. She hated to admit it, but she had been scared shitless ever since. She kept thinking that either she was going to die on that rooftop or she was going to be taken back to the organization and _wish_ she could just die. Just when she thought she was going to make it, though, she practically walks over to the biggest ass she had ever met, holds up her wrists to him and says, “Fushimi, here I am! Cuff me!”

But that was enough of that. Once she got to Europe, she would make her next move. She didn’t believe that her heart was really going to listen and leave Japan forever. Eventually, she would come back… She just wasn’t sure when.

Mori then set off, using the alleyways to make her way to a bus stop that should leave her a walking distance from the airport.

~~~~

Fushimi stood in his room looking at the empty box of Mori Akiko’s confiscated belongings. Yata was in the process of calling out for Mori throughout the apartment, though, both knew that it was pointless to do so. She wasn’t there. Clicking his tongue, he left the room and began searching for his PDA in his pocket. He was furious. How dare she just _leave_?! Was he not clear enough that she would be thrown in prison?! Was the risk really worth this? And after he started to feel _bad_ for her! HA! He would bet money that that whole bathroom thing was just some sick ploy to get him to lower his guard, to portray herself as some broken little fox, so that he would fall right into her trap.

And it fucking _worked_! Here he was wanting to… to… _apologize_ and maybe even… get to know her a little bit better. _Well, screw that._

Fushimi looked at his PDA and grinned triumphantly for only a moment. Luckily for him, he had a contingency plan in case something like this had happened. He installed a tracker to her PDA, deep in its programming and linked it to his. He could see her location _and_ the use of her powers. Turns out, she had been using her powers inside the apartment. He hadn’t seen any burn marks so there must have been more to her powers than she had led on.

He walked into the leaving room to talk to Yata. “We’re going after her, Misaki.”

Yata scratched his head in frustration. He was pretty peeved that she had just ditched them like this. Despite what happened between her and Fushimi, Yata thought that at least _they_ were getting along. Wait, what if it was the bathroom thing that had chased her off? Like, she couldn’t stand to be around them anymore?  “Shouldn’t you call the Blues for backup?”

“We’ll take care of this ourselves.” Fushimi stopped in front of the T.V. He furrowed his brow at the device. Something felt off about it. A creeping sensation… it was familiar, yet it was different somehow. From the way Yata was behaving, he must not be feeling it. _This sensation…_ What could it be?

Yata simply nodded and let Fushimi lead the way. The two started running down the apartment floors and finally halted their pursuit in a small alley in the back of the building. Fushimi watched the blinking dot on his PDA quickly make its way through the city. Clicking on it, he surmised that she was running towards the nearest bus stop. He then made that his search. Yata, though short as he was, looked over Fushimi’s shoulder. Fushimi let his friend see what he was doing, slightly shifting the PDA for the Red Clansman, but just to be sure he also told the man what he was trying to do. “I think she’s planning on taking the bus somewhere… I’m just not sure where.” Fushimi rubbed his thumb against his lower lip as he tried to determine where Mori was going. From there he would be able to impede her progress.

After all, she wasn’t the only hacker.

A list of bus times and their routes popped up and both Clansmen looked the list over carefully. Yata pointed to a vastly approaching time. The blinking light was also heading to the corresponding bus stop. “I think she’s going to this one, Saruhiko.”

The black-haired boy nodded. “Yeah. But this bus… It just goes to the airport… No. Do not fucking tell me…!”

Yata looked up at his friend. “Airport?” He repeated. “Don’t tell me she’s trying to leave Japan!”

Fushimi clicked his tongue and took off running as he meddled with his PDA. Like hell, she was going to get on a fucking airplane on his watch! He started sending in reports and the such to the local authorities and gave out orders to stop that particular bus by any mean.

He could hear Yata on his board, yelling that he was going to go on ahead. “Saruhiko! I’ll definitely stop her!”

“You better!”


End file.
